Public launch of new telemedicine system AASM Sleep innovates sleep medicine

Today the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) officially launched AASM Sleep, a new state-of-the-art telemedicine platform that will dramatically increase patient access to the expertise of board-certified sleep medicine physicians and accredited sleep centers. By eliminating the barriers of regional boundaries and travel times, AASM SleepTM will ensure that all patients have access to high quality sleep health care, regardless of where they live.

Sleep medicine professionals are encouraged to register for one of the upcoming demonstrations to experience an exclusive online tour of the platform, which has been enhanced and streamlined since the November release of the beta version. Free demos currently are scheduled for Jan. 20 and 22, as well as Jan. 27 and 29. The AASM also is offering a live, half-day seminar, "Expanding Your Sleep Practice through Telemedicine and Integrated Care," on Feb. 5 and several other dates throughout the spring.

"The official launch of AASM SleepTM represents the dawn of a new era for sleep medicine," said AASM President Dr. Nathaniel Watson. "Sleep medicine physicians are going to appreciate the system's ease of use as well as its sleep-specific customizations, and patients are going to love how AASM SleepTM gives them convenient access to the expertise of sleep specialists."

AASM SleepTM, formerly Tell A Sleep Doc, was custom-built by the AASM to provide a comprehensive telemedicine solution for the field of sleep medicine. A core component of the system is a secure, web-based video platform that facilitates live, interactive consultations and follow-up visits between patients and sleep medicine providers. AASM SleepTM also features an interactive sleep diary, sleep log and sleep questionnaires, and the system syncs with Fitbit sleep data, giving sleep physicians an unparalleled view of their patients' sleep habits.

About 70 million Americans suffer from sleep problems, and nearly 60 percent of them have a chronic disorder such as obstructive sleep apnea or insomnia. Untreated sleep disorders are associated with increased risks for numerous medical complications, including hypertension, heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and depression. The effective treatment of a sleep disorder can help patients make significant improvements in their overall health and well-being. Restoring healthy sleep also is essential to prevent excessive daytime sleepiness, reduced alertness and impaired cognitive functioning, which can contribute to workplace accidents and drowsy driving.

"Ensuring patient access to quality sleep health care requires widespread adoption of telemedicine by sleep medicine practices across the U.S.," said Watson. "I encourage all sleep specialists to sign their sleep practice up for AASM SleepTM today. The time for sleep clinicians to embrace telemedicine is now."

Sleep medicine is a recognized medical subspecialty with a biennial board certification exam provided by six member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). To date more than 5,600 physicians have been certified in sleep medicine by a specialty board of the ABMS. The AASM accredited a sleep center for the first time in 1977, and today there are more than 2,500 AASM accredited sleep centers across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam.

In October 2015 the AASM published a position paper on using telemedicine to diagnose and treat sleep disorders. The paper supports telemedicine as a means of advancing patient health by improving access to the expertise of board-certified sleep medicine physicians