GRMC Now Offers At-Home Sleep Studies

Grinnell Regional Medical Center can now offer patients a self-administered at-home sleep test, as opposed to the inpatient sleep studies done in the sleep lab on the GRMC campus. Melisa Coaker, MD, a sleep specialist, states that the ability to give at-home sleep studies is all about patient convenience.

“I think that home sleep testing performed on the right patients has much opportunity and potential,” Coaker says. “We can test many more patients, and we can capture much of the same results as an inpatient procedure.”

 The new at-home sleep test will give GRMC the ability to administer more sleep tests, with each test expected to be a fraction of the cost of inpatient sleep tests. The main benefit brought by the new option is the ease and convenience of administering the study at home.

“A lot of patients are scared to come in and sleep in the lab, and this is a good alternative in their own homes,” Coaker says.

The new device is roughly the shape and size of a standard mail envelope with several attachments that each patient will be trained in using. Once at home, the patients simply sleep in their own beds while being monitored by the machine.

To participate in the sleep study, a general physician may refer patients, or patients may opt for self-referral. Some insurance carriers require a referral for coverage.

For more information about sleep disorders, sleep studies, or to schedule a sleep test at home or at GRMC, contact the GRMC Sleep Lab at 515-358-9640. The GRMC Sleep Lab contracts with CIC Associates, P.C., and Mercy Sleep Lab.