This month at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) NovaSom, which makes home tests for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) unveiled an FDA-cleared OSA test kit that leverages Verizon Wireless' cellular network to wirelessly collect and transfer sleep data up to a cloud-based platform for physician interpretation and diagnosis. Last summer the company scooped up $35 million in new funding.
Here's how NovaSom describes the test: "The AccuSom, NovaSom’s second-generation home sleep test, is a smartphone-sized portable Type III cardio-respiratory monitor. Its multichannel sensor system monitors the five parameters necessary for OSA diagnosis: respiration airflow, oxygen saturation, pulse rate, respiration effort and snoring."
Physicians first prescribe the home sleep test, then patients receive the device in the mail. The device helps the user set it up through a series of voice prompts. The device collects data over the course of a couple of nights, which NovaSom claims is more effective than spending one night in a sleep clinic. About 12 million of the estimated 15 million people with undiagnosed OSA could benefit from using the device, according to the company.
“When aiming to diagnose a serious medical condition such as OSA, speed and accuracy are critical," stated Dr. Richard Hassett, CEO of NovaSom in a press release. "Through our work with Verizon Wireless, NovaSom has been able to improve data transmission from the patient’s bedside to our online cloud-based sleep management platform, where it is accessed and analyzed by the interpreting physician. We believe the integration of Verizon’s network into our home sleep test technology will lead to more efficient data interpretation and faster patient diagnosis.”
For more, read the press release below:
LAS VEGAS and BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – From the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Verizon Wireless and NovaSom, Inc., the leader in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) home testing, today announced that NovaSom’s AccuSom® Home Sleep Test will be showcased at the Verizon booth (Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall, Booth #30259).
The AccuSom Home Sleep Test is used in the diagnosis of OSA, one of the most serious and under-diagnosed medical conditions in the United States, affecting nearly 18 million Americans. AccuSom is the only FDA-cleared wireless home sleep test on the market, utilizing Verizon’s network to wirelessly collect and transfer sleep data from the patient’s home to a proprietary cloud-based sleep apnea management platform for physician interpretation and diagnosis.
The AccuSom, NovaSom’s second-generation home sleep test, is a smartphone-sized portable Type III cardio-respiratory monitor. Its multichannel sensor system monitors the five parameters necessary for OSA diagnosis: respiration airflow, oxygen saturation, pulse rate, respiration effort and snoring. Once a physician submits a prescription for a Home Sleep Test, the AccuSom is mailed directly to the patient to be self-administered in the comfort and privacy of his or her home. The device uses voice prompts, which can be programmed in any language, to walk the patient through testing. It wirelessly transmits sleep data via the Verizon network after testing is completed. The AccuSom is capable of multi-night testing, which is proven to identify more patients with positive OSA diagnosis than a one-night sleep lab test.
Richard Hassett, M.D., chief executive officer, NovaSom, said, “When aiming to diagnose a serious medical condition such as OSA, speed and accuracy are critical. Through our work with Verizon Wireless, NovaSom has been able to improve data transmission from the patient’s bedside to our online cloud-based sleep management platform, where it is accessed and analyzed by the interpreting physician. We believe the integration of Verizon’s network into our home sleep test technology will lead to more efficient data interpretation and faster patient diagnosis.”
NovaSom is the leader in OSA home sleep testing, with the first FDA-cleared system and over 75,000 tests performed. Home sleep testing with NovaSom is a convenient, cost-effective alternative to in-lab sleep testing, shown to be clinically appropriate for up to 80 percent of the 15 million people that remain undiagnosed with OSA. The company is fully accredited by the Joint Commission as an Ambulatory Care Sleep Diagnostic Center and CMS-approved as an Independent Diagnostic Testing Facility.
Verizon Wireless leads the way in 4G with the largest 4G LTE network and most reliable 4G network in the United States, which now covers more than 200 people in 190 markets.
Verizon established its Innovation Program to encourage collaboration and help advance the 4G LTE ecosystem. The company’s LTE Innovation Center in Waltham, Mass., and its Application Innovation Center in San Francisco were created to inspire, enable and develop non-traditional devices, services and applications that take advantage of Verizon Wireless’ industry-leading wireless networks. Through the Innovation Program, Verizon seeks to expand the possibilities of 4G LTE by working with diverse companies, from start-ups to established players, in industries representing a broad range of verticals.
For more information about Verizon at CES, visit www.verizonwireless.com/ces or follow Verizon Wireless news on Twitter at @VZWnews. Visit www.novasom.com for more information about home sleep testing with NovaSom.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Media attending CES 2012 in Las Vegas can visit Verizon Wireless and NovaSom, Inc., at LVCC, South Hall, Booth #30259.)
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About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 107.7 million total wireless connections, including 90.7 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with nearly 83,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
About NovaSom, Inc.
NovaSom, Inc. is the market leader in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) home testing, with the first FDA-cleared system and more than 75,000 tests performed to date. It is the manufacturer of NovaSom® HST and second generation AccuSom® HST. Together with its proprietary cloud-based MediTrack® OSA management platform, NovaSom’s home sleep testing technology has been shown to provide in-home, clinically equivalent diagnosis of OSA at a significantly reduced cost compared to in-facility sleep testing. Through partnerships with major health insurers, the NovaSom HST is a covered benefit for over 165 million commercially insured lives in the U.S. as of January 1, 2012, and is also approved for Medicare patients.
NovaSom also offers comprehensive service programs that are utilized by payers and physicians nationwide, including its unique Payer Solutions Program that enables health insurers to realize significant cost saving by leveraging proven managed care utilization tools to redirect OSA testing to the home. NovaSom is accredited by the Joint Commission as an Ambulatory Care Sleep Diagnostic Center and is approved by CMS as an Independent Diagnostic Testing Facility. For more information, visit www.NovaSom.com.
