Why out-source your scoring?

An important part of a sleep lab’s workflow is the scoring of the patient’s study given that massive amounts of raw data are acquired during the sleep study. The interpreting physician relies on the timely and accurate scoring of sleep studies in order to deliver the proper diagnosis and treatment. Unfortunately, in many sleep labs across the country, the process of scoring these studies is often the major cause of delays in turnaround time. In theory, a typical study should be scored within an hour of uninterrupted time. A four-bed, lab which is running full, would therefore require one scoring tech to score four studies the following day in four hours. In reality, what happens during the day prevents the day tech from delivering consistent quality scoring since the lab gets busy with patients, calls from referring physicians, walk-ins, visits from manufacturer’s reps, interactions with other office personnel, etc. The result is clear and predictable. Instead of scoring four studies in four hours, the tech becomes distracted and typically scores fewer than his/her goal. Ultimately, this leaves sleep studies sitting in the “to be done” file for another day. A vicious cycle then begins to transform as another new set of four patients arrives for their studies the following evening. Result: a never-ending backlog begins build up.

The stark reality is that most sleep labs are small businesses with very limited funding capabilities. The scoring tech is usually a registered polysomnographic tech (RPSGT) who happens to command a high pay-scale in the lab. In California, RPSGTs are paid on average between $70K-$100k after benefits are factored in. Hiring a second RPSGT to catch up on the scoring is just not financially feasible in most cases.

Consider the numbers

If an average sleep lab does 50 studies per month and the average pay of a scoring tech is $75k per year, the cost is $125 per study. Of course, the RPSGT scoring during the day is also asked to do other things such as MSLTs and other administrative functions. On average very few of these studies are MSLTs and MWTs. Given that the day tech is performing other important duties for his/her salary, let’s estimate that it costs the lab $100 per in-house study.

The biggest cost is hidden

Consider the cost of losing a referring doctor due to untimely or inconsistent service to their patients. If this physician refers five patients a month and the average cost of a study is assumed to be $1000, there is $12,000/month in lost revenue. Unfortunately, word of mouth is a two-edged sword- it can be the key to success if your clients are happy, or the kiss of death if your lab is producing dissatisfied referring physicians. The true cost of losing a referring doctor is hard to quantify since the news of a bad experience with the sleep lab spreads quickly.

Why n2sleep Scoring? Highly Trained RPSGTs!

Our techs are highly trained and are compliant with the new scoring rules of the AASM. In fact, our VP of Clinical Operations, Glenn Roldan RPSGT, was the person who delivered the key-note presentation of the new scoring rules in the last APS show in Minneapolis. All of our scoring techs are RPSGTs who have been trained by Mr. Roldan. Further, Mr. Roldan’s role is not only to train our scoring techs but also to oversee our strict quality-control process.

Click to see Glenn Roldan's CV.

Support of Multiple Software

We support 95% of all the systems in the market.

48-Hour Turnaround Time Guarantee

Our highly trained RPSGT’s work in a comfortable and isolated scoring lab without external distractions or interruptions. Our clients find that their own night techs can download completed studies to our secure HIPPA compliant server. Our guaranteed turnaround time is 48 hours however we deliver most of the studies within 24 hours at no additional cost.

Cost

We charge a flat rate of $45 per study regardless of quantity. In the example cited earlier, a lab doing 600 studies per year would pay a total of $30,000 for scoring as opposed to $100,000. Just as importantly, the hidden cost, i.e., the cost of losing a referring physician because of a timeliness issue, is eliminated.

For sleep clinics just starting up, out-sourcing makes even more sense since the lab need not hire a scoring RPSGT immediately.

Tech Support outside the manufacturer

Typically, a sleep technologist would call the manufacturer, technical director or the medical director if he /she is having problems during the study in the middle of the night. The manufacturer can only provide support as far as the equipment or software is concerned. The technical director is the second line of defense if the issue is clinical in nature. At n2sleep, we support our clients across the entire clinical spectrum: from downloading studies to trouble-shooting minor issues. Given that our scoring techs are also RPSGTs, they not only do scoring but are also clinically and technically trained. Also, consider that one of the largest benefits of our program occurs when a lab has multiple branded systems. Since we support 95% of the software, the technician or technical director need only call us…not manufacturers or other relevant individuals.

Our Guarantee

We are so confident of our service that we’ll do your first six studies at no cost to you. That’s a $300 value! The only way that we can prove our value to you, however, is by having you give us a try! If you are not happy with our service for any reason, you can simply stop sending us your sleep studies and their will be NO QUESTIONS ASKED !!!

For more information,n2sleep

                             1615 Hill Rd., Ste 15,
                             Novato, CA 94947

                             Phone Number
                             925.219.8625,
                             925.215.1852

                             Toll-Free Fax
                             1.866.433.1552

                             Email Address:
                             sales@n2sleepdiagnostics.com

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