In an episode of The Patient First Podcast, Sleep Group Solutions President, John Nadeau sat down with Dr. Bryan Laskin to discuss an often-overlooked aspect of sleep apnea: dental sleep medicine. Dr. Laskin is an author, dentist, and entrepreneur fascinated by any opportunity to provide dental patients with more connected, integrated, and comprehensive care.

During the interview, SGS President emphasized the importance of raising awareness about sleep apnea. Dental sleep medicine, a specialized field within dentistry, offers innovative solutions that can significantly improve the quality of life for individuals struggling with sleep apnea.

The Patient First Podcast is an invaluable platform for sharing insights, experiences, and expertise in dental healthcare. We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the conversation surrounding sleep apnea and dental sleep medicine, and we remain dedicated to supporting initiatives that prioritize patient-centric care.

Sleep Group Solutions empowers dental professionals to exceed their clinical and financial goals with dental sleep medicine. We are committed to providing the highest quality of education and training. Allow us to change the way you view dentistry through a complete turnkey solution that produces better patients, better practices, and a better YOU.

To listen to President John Nadeau’s episode on The Patient First Podcast, watch here: bit.ly/48WJub3

The Complex World of Medical Billing in DSM

Billing for DSM services is far from straightforward. The challenges stem from the unique position that DSM providers occupy in the healthcare system. They bridge the gap between dental care and medical care, treating sleep-related disorders like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) through oral appliance therapy. As a result, dental sleep medicine providers experience medical insurance challenges they’ve never experienced in the dental world.

Challenges Faced by DSM Practitioners

1. Code Confusion: DSM providers must use specific medical billing codes, such as Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes and Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes, to bill for their services. These codes can be complex and change over time, in addition to having code modifiers and requirements on when and who can bill for them add to the complication.
2. Out-Of-Network Billing: 99% of dentists are out of network with all medical insurance plans and thus must bill insurance as an OON provider. Out of network coverage is limited or non-existent, leading to high patient out of pocket costs and lower case acceptance.
3. The Disappearing GAP Waiver: In the early days of dental sleep medicine most providers would attempt to get a GAP or Network Insufficiency waiver for patient coverage (essentially paying you as an in-network provider because there is nobody in-network nearby who can offer the service). Most GAP requests in 2023 are blocked leaving the dentist with no options for insurance payment.
4. Software Confusion: Medical billing from a dental office requires learning complicated new software and rules for when and how various codes can be billed.
5. Physician Expectations: Growing your DSM practice involves establishing referral relationships with area physicians. In a recent survey of Sleep MD’s their #1 hesitation about referring to a dental office for a sleep appliance is the fact that the dentist is out of network and the patient costs would be prohibitively high.

Streamlining Medical Billing in DSM

In the face of these challenges SGS set out to develop a patient, physician and dental practice friendly billing option that allows for consistent, predictable, reimbursement while taking the burden away from dental admin teams. As part of the DSM business builder program SGS client practice will benefit from:

1. In-Network Reimbursement: The SGS Sleep Impressions practice is a nationwide network of DSM professionals with pre-existing in-network contracts for most major medical payers including BCBS, Aetna, Cigna, United Healthcare, Humana, TriCare and the VA Healthcare System. New partners are able to benefit from these established relationships and contracts
2. End-to-End Diagnostics & Billing: Our platform includes a telehealth system for face-to-face visits with a board-certified sleep medicine physician. The physician will order and deliver sleep tests and prescribe oral appliance therapy to be filled by our network dentists as in-network providers. Our patient advocate team will verify benefits, collect co-pays / deductibles from patients and schedule them for records appointments back in the dental office.
3. Nationwide VA Network: Our Sleep Impressions practice is in-network coast-to-coast with the VA. New partner practices are added to existing Optum or TriWest contracts to be able to provide covered sleep appliance services to VA patients nationwide.
4. “Hands off” case presentations: Dental teams will never have to guess benefits, determine co-pays, collect fees from patients or try to figure out how much to charge – it’s ALL done for you. Let SGS handle the billing and you focus on providing the best clinical outcomes.

The journey toward streamlined medical billing in dental sleep medicine is in reach. By embracing specialized software, ongoing education, and effective strategies, DSM practitioners can simplify the billing process and focus on what they do best – providing quality care to patients with sleep-related disorders.

If you’re ready to learn about adding Sleep Medicine to your dental practice, call us now at 1-888-608-4965 or request a free consultation!

Understanding CPAP Noncompliance:

CPAP therapy involves wearing a mask connected to a machine that delivers a continuous stream of air pressure to keep the airways open during sleep. While effective, some patients find CPAP treatment uncomfortable or claustrophobic. They may experience issues with mask fit, air leaks, or noise, which can lead to noncompliance.

The Role of Dental Sleep Medicine:

Dental sleep medicine focuses on addressing sleep-related breathing disorders, including sleep apnea. Dentists who specialize in this field can provide alternative treatments to CPAP therapy, with a particular focus on oral appliances.

Making Oral Appliances for CPAP Noncompliance:

• Assessment: The first step is a comprehensive evaluation of the patient’s sleep apnea condition. Dentists should gather medical history, conduct a thorough examination of the oral and pharyngeal structures, and possibly recommend a sleep study.
• Customized Design: Based on the patient’s specific needs, the dentist designs a custom oral appliance. These devices are typically made of acrylic and fit comfortably in the mouth, resembling a mouthguard or retainer.
• Adjustment and Fitting: Dentists carefully adjust and fit the oral appliance to ensure it’s comfortable and effective. Patients may require some time to adapt to wearing it during sleep.

Advantages of Oral Appliances for CPAP Noncompliance:

• Comfort: Oral appliances are often more comfortable than CPAP masks, making them a viable alternative for noncompliant patients.
• Non-Invasive: Unlike surgery, which is another option for sleep apnea, oral appliances are non-invasive and reversible.
• Portable: Oral appliances are small and easy to transport, making them suitable for travel.
• Increased Compliance: Many patients find it easier to comply with treatment when using an oral appliance, leading to better long-term outcomes.

Dentists’ Role in Improving Sleep Health:

Dentists who offer oral appliances for sleep apnea treatment play a crucial role in helping patients achieve better sleep health. They can collaborate with sleep physicians, provide patient education, and offer ongoing support.

Noncompliance with CPAP therapy doesn’t mean the end of the road for patients with sleep apnea. Dentists specializing in dental sleep medicine can make a significant difference by providing effective and comfortable oral appliances tailored to individual needs. By taking on this role, dentists contribute to better sleep health and a higher quality of life for their patients.

If your patients or a loved one struggles with CPAP noncompliance, consider adding dental sleep medicine to your dental practice! Call us at 1-888-608-4985 or request a free consultation.

The Rise of Dental Sleep Medicine

In recent years, Dental Sleep Medicine has emerged as a pivotal solution to address sleep apnea and other sleep-related disorders. Approximately one in four adult dental patients suffers from sleep-disordered breathing, highlighting the vast potential this field offers for dental practices. Patients often seek non-invasive alternatives to CPAP machines, and dentists are uniquely positioned to provide these solutions through Dental Sleep Medicine.

In-Office Consultation: The First Step

An in-office consultation is the foundational step to tap into this potential. Here’s why it matters:

• Education and Training: Dental Sleep Medicine is a specialized field that requires both knowledge and skill. In-office consultations provide dentists and their teams with the essential education they need to understand sleep apnea, its diagnosis, and the available treatment options. This education is a powerful tool that empowers you to offer comprehensive solutions to your patients.
• Integration with Your Practice: Implementing Dental Sleep Medicine seamlessly into your existing practice can be a challenge. In-office consultations offer personalized guidance to ensure the program is smoothly integrated into your daily workflow. This includes training your clinical and administrative teams and adapting your practice to efficiently manage sleep patients.
• Access to Expertise: In-office consultations are led by experienced clinicians who have successfully navigated the path you are embarking on. They understand the challenges you might face and can provide real-world insights and solutions. These experts offer guidance on medical billing, marketing strategies, and physician referral programs, streamlining your journey into DSM.
• Reimbursement Solutions: The best clinical protocols and solutions for your patients are only good if you can be reimbursed for it. DSM is often a dental practice’s first foray into medical insurance billing and this is frequently a daunting task. SGS has this completely solved with a pain-free revenue cycle management program where the entire benefits, payment, collections and claim process is handled outside of your office. This enables most patients to receive IN NETWORK benefits for their treatment which means guaranteed consistent reimbursement for your practice. You focus on the best clinical outcomes and leave the rest to us.

The SGS Dental Sleep Medicine Business Builder Program

One of the leading providers of in-office consultations is Sleep Group Solutions (SGS). Their Dental Sleep Medicine Business Builder Program is designed to equip you with the knowledge, tools, and support needed for a successful practice. The program combines classroom and hands-on education, ongoing coaching and mentoring, and proprietary diagnostic and airway imaging technology.

SGS offers a unique advantage by providing both lecture and hands-on training, including Eccovision airway imaging and home sleep testing technology. Their seminars and on-site practice consults are taught by highly credentialed clinicians who have walked the same path and practice what they teach daily.

Flexible Learning Options

Recognizing that every dental practice is unique, SGS offers various continuing education options. In addition to in-person seminars, they provide customized in-your-office CE programs, a comprehensive online CE course, and free CE webinars on various topics each month. This flexibility ensures that even if you have limited resources or time constraints, you can still access high-quality education in Dental Sleep Medicine.

In-office consultations are the gateway to success in DSM. They provide the foundational knowledge, integration support, and access to experts that every dentist needs to thrive in this rapidly growing field.

Take a DSM Test Drive

Not every practice is a perfect fit for DSM.  The next step for your office would be to schedule a consultation with one of our Dental Sleep Medicine Experts to educate your team and experience and see the entire patient protocol from start to finish in your office.

Request your FREE Dental Sleep Medicine In-Office Consultation today!

Dental CE Seminars Closest to You?

We at Sleep Group Solutions make an effort to provide a variety of locations and dates for our continuing education seminars for dentists. No matter where you are in the continental US and some parts of Canada, we have a seminar that will accommodate your schedule and travel needs. Check out our upcoming seminars page to inquire about a course coming to you or to see our upcoming schedule.

Dental CE Seminars that Deliver Value and Illumination 

While many CE seminars simply provide you with 6 or so credits for a weekend course, our sleep apnea training for dentists will provide you and your team with 12 CEUs with a two-day hands-on seminar. By the end, our sleep apnea solutions for dentists will provide you with comprehensive, practical training, and the tools needed to succeed in your practice.

Dental CE Seminars Led by Experienced Experts

As a medical professional, you need to learn from the best. That’s why our continuing education seminars for dentists are hosted by keynote speakers that have years of experience with dental sleep medicine. They not only have the practical experience that will provide you with a knowledgeable, hands-on perspective, but they will be able to answer any questions you may have on what you’re learning. Whether you want to learn more about dental sleep medicine equipment or how to approach your patients about treating sleep apnea, our experts are here to help. 

Hands-On Dental CE Training

When looking to complete your general dentist education requirements, no matter the subject, it’s important that you receive practical, real-time training for our profession’s newest sleep apnea dentists that goes beyond what you may typically learn in the classroom. That’s why we provide extensive hands-on training of the acoustic rhynometer/pharyngometer equipment as well as the ARES home sleep test on both days of our program.

Assistance at Home

Our service doesn’t stop when you walk out of our course. Our continuing education seminars for dentists are the beginning of not only a new chapter in your practice but an open dialogue that will help to ensure your success. Our representatives will be more than happy to come over to your office and provide any additional training and installations that a sleep apnea dentists may need.

Get the Best in Sleep Apnea Training for Dentists at Sleep Group Solution

Our sleep apnea solutions for dentists are designed to be effective and to help your practice reach its full potential while you help an entirely new demographic of patients. If you’re ready to become part of the growing community of sleep apnea dentists, contact our reps at 1-888-608-4985 to help you find a seminar near you today.

Experienced Industry Leaders

When choosing between various continuing education seminars for dentists, it’s important to remember that you’re not just attending based on promises and brand recognition. As a savvy attendee, you want to make sure that you get the absolute most out of your experience. That means making sure that the instructors helping to guide you in this new phase of your practice are experienced and knowledgeable. 

Sleep Group Solutions is made up of people who care and know what they’re talking about. That means learning from people with experience in successfully running their practice and happy to share their wealth of knowledge. 

Adaptable Training

As you’re learning a new skill, you must have a curriculum and instructor that are capable of providing you with the tactile and practical experience needed to fully digest the new material and teach you what to expect during any practical application. With Sleep Group Solutions, you get world-class training with various tools used in the field of dental sleep medicine (acoustic rhinometer, pharyngometer, and the ARES home sleep test) all from the comfort of your computer via our intuitive online dental continuing education learning modules.

Materials to Help Before and During the Seminar

Whether you’re participating in continuing education seminars for dentists or taking up a new hobby, it helps to get as many perspectives on valuable information through supplementary materials. We have various webinars, videos, and blog posts about obstructive sleep apnea treatment in the field of dentistry that build on our courses and give new, invaluable insights. Of course, our experts are here throughout your journey and will be more than happy to help long after the seminar ends. 

Constant Support

After the seminar, our instructors will be happy to assist you through the process of integrating sleep into your practice. We will personally come to your office and help you install and train your staff on any equipment you may have purchased. Our support line takes pride in being incredibly responsive, and one of our representatives will be happy to connect you to whoever you need. 

We will assist you with the hard-hitting questions – everything from working through billing and insurance to learning how to guide an uncooperative patient and staff training protocols. We believe that you, as medical professionals and experienced dentists, deserve as much value as possible out of your continuing education seminar, and that means building a beneficial relationship that lasts.

Looking for a Quality Sleep Seminar For Dentists That Gets you What you Need? Come to Sleep Group Solutions

Don’t settle for second best with your education. If you want to learn more about how you can improve your practice by assisting in the treatment of the signs and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, contact us today at 1-888-608-4985. 

As a dentist, you have to play the part of both the business owner and medical professional. Naturally, that means you’re constantly looking for ways to improve and optimize your practice with new innovations and continuing education courses. With that being said, there are times when you may need to start thinking a bit outside the box and investigating things that some may think as outside of the scope of dentistry.  

By providing diagnostic and treatment tools for people who potentially have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), you can open a whole new frontier for your practice. The experts at Sleep Group Solutions are just here to help you discover just exactly what you might be missing out on by limiting yourself to “traditional” dentistry. 

You’re Missing Out On A Massive Stream of Income

When opening a business, you want to be able to diversify and provide for a niche that no one else in your area is taking care of. It could be safely assumed that not many people truly know about OSA or dental sleep medicine, leaving a giant hole in your area. With a little bit of marketing, you will be able to attract a variety of new, loyal clientele that will be able to recommend their own friends and family with OSA seek out your services. Of course, our dental sleep seminar will be able to properly advise you on how to implement this new aspect into your practice successfully. 

You’re Missing Out On A Chance To Secure Your Practice’s Future

Retirement or transferring your practice is never an easy task. You have to attend to your duties as a medical professional on top of trying to train new practitioners and taking care of the various legal necessities. If you happen to be aging (and dentists are known to retire later in life), it can be an incredibly physically strenuous task as well. 

With dental sleep medicine, you can allow yourself to be dedicated to examining patients for sleep apnea and its various symptoms, which will give you the time and space necessary to watch over the transition or give yourself some much-needed rest. Whatever your needs may be, dental sleep medicine can become (and remain) an incredibly important tool and source of security for your practice in the present and future.

You’re Not Using the Opportunity to Help More People

As you’ve most likely heard by now, OSA is an incredibly prolific disease in America. It’s estimated that around 22 million people across this country suffer from the condition, and it’s known for being highly underdiagnosed. As a dentist, however, you have direct access to a patient’s airway and therefore can assist in detecting and beginning treatment for the condition, even if they don’t know they currently have it. By providing some basic sleep apnea treatment, your practice can help improve and even save the lives of hundreds of new people in your area who would have otherwise been suffering in silence. 

Maximize Your Practice’s Potential With Sleep Group Solutions

There’s no reason that your practice should have to miss out on a potentially profitable and untapped market. With our continuing education seminars for dentists, you will have thorough instruction by experts who have all successfully implemented sleep medicine into their practice and will be given the tools you need to succeed and expand your practice. If you’re looking to learn more about obstructive sleep apnea treatment and what it can mean for you, give us a call at any time. 

To talk to a representative about our continuing education seminars for dentists, give us a call at 1-888-608-4985, or visit our contact page.

Snoring is more than just a nuisance that people are moderately inconvenienced by. It’s disruptive to sleep for both the sufferer and any potential partner they may have and may be a sign of the more serious malady that is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). With that being said, there is hope that you, as a dentist, can help your patients with their chronic snoring and get them on track to a healthier lifestyle. For instance, you can… 

Educate Them

As a medical professional, it’s your responsibility to keep your patients in-the-know with the possible dangers associated with any condition they may have. Ask them the right questions and talk to them about their risk factors and why their possible OSA could be possibly life-threatening. By giving them the tools they need to succeed, they can make informed, positive choices about their health that can drastically improve their quality of life.

Give Them A Mouthpiece 

In many cases, mild and moderate cases of OSA can be treated by simply giving them a custom night guard that helps adjust their mouth and airway to the point where it’s no longer obstructed. This can drastically help their quality of sleep, and will drastically reduce the negative comorbidities associated with sleep apnea and snoring (fatigue, depression, anxiety, teeth grinding, etc). 

Get Them To Sleep On Their Sides

In some cases, patients with sleep apnea develop various symptoms due to the position they sleep in at night. People who sleep on their backs, in particular, are especially heavy snorers due to obstructive tissue disrupting their airway. We recommend advising that your patient sleep on their side to reduce obstructions and stabilize their breathing, but again, this may vary from person to person. 

Encourage Healthier Habits

Certain habits, such as smoking and overeating, can drastically increase a person’s risk for developing and worsening their sleep apnea. In fact, the reason that OSA is such a difficult beast to shake is because a lot of the symptoms start from a lifetime of unhealthy habits, which result in a self-perpetuating cycle. For instance, overeating causes weight gain, which increases one’s risk for OSA, which again causes an increased appetite due to fatigue. 

Educate Yourself On Snoring And Sleep Apnea

What better way to help the people suffering in your area with apneic episodes than to become the resident professional. Sleep Group Solutions offers in-depth dental seminars hosted by some of the most influential people in the industry that go into great detail on the best practices for detecting and treating sleep apnea and implementing it into your business. We will discuss everything you need to know about how OSA relates to dentistry, and even give you hands-on training with state-of-the-art tools such as the pharyngometer, rhinometer, and ARES home sleep test that can give you the exact details of your patient’s condition. 

If you have any questions about what we do, or how you can get started on your own dental sleep medicine journey, give us a call at 1-888-608-4985, or visit our contact page. We will be happy to set you up with a seminar that works for your schedule and location.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common, but tragically overlooked ailment that is characterized by various blockages in the airway, particularly when asleep. Of course, this causes breathing issues and hypoxia, which leads to a variety of unpleasant and possibly life-threatening comorbidities. This includes, but isn’t limited to: heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. Even what may be described as the common “tertiary” effects, such as irritability and chronic fatigue, can be disruptive in an individual’s life. 

With that all being said, a silver lining for this condition is that the symptoms of sleep apnea are often fairly noticeable. After all, most people without an extensive education on the disease understand that loud, excessive snoring is a common indicator.

At least, that’s true for the majority of people. As is the case with many diseases, OSA affects various demographics differently, and that includes women. A large issue in the general treatment of sleep apnea, for instance, is that females are more likely to demonstrate fewer symptoms that are based on physicality, such as snoring. Because of this, many doctors tend to dismiss their patient’s health concerns, leaving them to suffer without treatment, and vulnerable to some fairly nasty conditions. 

Some of the symptoms that women are more likely to present include: 

• Chest pains
• Heartburn
• Acid reflux
• Irritability
• Onset of depression and anxiety
• Chronic fatigue 
• Unusual lack of focus or clumsiness

Some quick statistics:

• Men are more likely than women to contract OSA (about twice as so). 
• Men are diagnosed eight times as often as women. This means that the demographic is drastically underdiagnosed. 
• Women are more likely to suffer from milder forms of OSA than severe. 
• The risk for OSA increases dramatically with pregnancy and menopause. 

Sleep Apnea and PCOS

For the most part, women and men share the same sort of environmental and genetic factors that lead to OSA (smoking, age, etc). However, one specific disorder unique to the fairer sex is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is known to be a major red flag for determining one’s risk for sleep apnea. While many believe that the weight gain and hormone imbalance caused by the endocrine condition is the primary contributing factor here, the connection isn’t totally clear, and more studies need to be performed and examined. What is known, however, is that PCOS doubles an individual’s risk for sleep apnea. Of course, with the two conditions having various shared comorbidities, it’s not surprising that one condition can compound the other, leading to worsening health and a reduced quality of life. 

Looking To Learn More About Sleep Apnea and Its Potential Impact on Your Patients And Practice? Sleep Group Solutions Is Here To Help

As a medical professional, you want to have as comprehensive of an understanding as possible on anything and everything that you can help your patients with. Our mission at Sleep Group Solutions is to simply assist you in that endeavor.

Fulfill your general dentist education requirements while ensuring the future of your practice and improving the health of your community with one of our many continuing education seminars on sleep apnea. To talk to one of our knowledgeable representatives about our continuing education seminars for dentists, give us a call at 1-888-608-4985, or visit our contact page.