When was the last time your sleep doctor called you to request a regular check up just to see how you were doing with your CPAP treatment?

Are there sleep medicine practices available where you are one of only a few patients your doctor cares for and you specifically come to your doctor’s mind because they know you are struggling with your CPAP treatment?  What if you had a doctor that reached out to you because they knew that frequent follow up and accountability was the key to your successful CPAP usage? Unfortunately, in our current healthcare system most doctors have so many patients that they can barely remember one from the other.  Most doctors are employees of large hospital systems where their clinic schedule is dictated and their salary is tied to how many patients they see and how many RVUs they produce (Relative Value Unit is calculated by the complexity of the patient and how many patients you see). This leaves no room for frequent follow up visits or a longer appointment time if needed. If you desire to have a sleep doctor who recalls your personal struggles with CPAP treatment and has the flexibility to reach out to “check in” on how you are doing while adjusting to wearing CPAP then keep reading about Direct Speciality Care (DSC). 

In Direct Specialty Care, we don’t care about RVUs and we see a limited number of patients so we have time to be thorough in our assessment and to get to know our patients personally. Oftentimes, a patient will come to my mind and I will wonder how they are doing with their insomnia, their CPAP treatment or their chronic cough. I can simply text them a quick message to “check in”.  It lets them know I care. “Checking in” also includes brief telemedicine appointments to make sure things are going well which gives me an opportunity to identify a problem quickly to prevent it from getting worse.

CPAP Treatment

Did you know that success in wearing CPAP is directly tied to how quickly an individual learns to wear their CPAP continuously in the first few days to weeks after receiving their machine. Those first two weeks are critical to long term success with CPAP treatment. It’s all about a mind set and accountability. If you “permit” yourself to wear it intermittently as you are learning to adjust to your CPAP then you will also “permit” yourself to wear it intermittently long term. Again, it’s all about the mindset. Is it really important to wear CPAP every night?  I often ask my patients-  Is it healthy to only brush your teeth when you feel like it? Clearly not and the same goes for wearing CPAP. Additionally, to be able to truly experience the benefit from CPAP you need to wear it consistently. If you don’t wear it consistently, then you may convince yourself it is not helpful hence, leading to discontinuation of usage. Meeting with the patient soon after they get their CPAP machine is critical for long term adherence and helps hold them accountable leading to success in wearing CPAP.

A recent CPAP patient said this about our time together:

“I was referred to Dr. Perry by my primary care physician to be evaluated for sleep apnea and snoring. She was very thorough on my initial meeting and evaluation. She set up a sleep study which revealed my sleep apnea and low oxygen levels during sleep. She provided me with several options with CPAP being the best. She has been readily available for questions I may have as well as meeting with me on a regular basis to check in. She has been very encouraging during my journey in using CPAP. I would highly recommend her to anyone I know!”

Dr. Perry’s response was  “This patient is rocking now and I love seeing it!  We met together during the first week after he received his CPAP machine and then frequently along the way to help him be successful. With Direct Specialty Care, I have the freedom to care for patients the way they should be cared for.”

If you are struggling with CPAP usage or dread even considering that you may need to wear CPAP, I know we can certainly help you with both. If you already struggle with insomnia and have been asked to wear CPAP, we can help you with this struggle as well. Our goal is for you to wake up in the morning refreshed to fulfill your calling in life. We’d be honored if you allow us to help you. Just give us a call.