Sleep-disorder patients who go to Greenwood Leflore Hospital can now rest assured that they will receive treatment approved by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
The academy has granted full accreditation to the hospital's Sleep Disorders Center. The status is good for five years.
The Greenwood center, which opened in 1995, is the only accredited center of its kind between Oxford and Jackson. While patients who go to Memphis or Jackson face a two- to four-month waiting period, Greenwood patients have to wait only about two weeks, says Dr. John P. Hey III, medical director of the Sleep Disorders Center.
Hey is one of less than 2,000 physicians nationally who are board-certified sleep specialists.
"We sought accreditation in order to certify that this center is state of the art," Hey said. "Less than 30 percent of sleep centers in the country, only 612 nationwide, have attained accreditation at this level."
Established in 1987, AASM is the largest professional medical association representing practitioners of sleep medicine and sleep research and is the primary authority on the disorders of sleep and wakefulness.
Sleep disorders aren't limited to people who think they don't sleep well. The specialty of sleep medicine is technically demanding and covers 89 different diagnoses, according to Hey.
"Sleep apnea, for instance, reveals a lot about a patient's risk for serious illness," he said. "A diagnosis of sleep apnea means a patient is four times as likely to experience stroke and three times more likely to have coronary artery disease. Sleep apnea may not seem dangerous to many people, but it can be an indicator of other more serious, even life-threatening conditions."
The accreditation has come as more people than ever are being diagnosed with sleeping problems, Hey says.
"There's a big demand," Hey said. "They just revised the idea on how many people suffer from sleep apnea from 5 percent to 10 percent. That means in Leflore County, we've got about 3,000 people out there. It's out there - it's just not diagnosed."
In other cases, less threatening but sometimes debilitating symptoms, such as chronic fatigue, low libido, depression and difficulty focusing, also can be linked to sleep disorders.
Hey also said a number of pediatric concerns, such as attention-deficit disorders and hyperactivity, are being linked to sleeping problems.
The path to accreditation for the center involved acquiring the high-level technology and the trained medical staffing to ensure patients receive top treatment, Hey said.
"A sleep center of excellence has the medical personnel and diagnostic tools to investigate all these symptoms and order an appropriate course of treatment," he said.
Right now, the Sleep Disorders Center has two beds, but Hey expects its capacity to reach six beds within the next year.
The Sleep Disorders Center is located in the hospital's new addition on the west wing of the second floor. Now that the center is accredited, most of its services are eligible for reimbursement by insurance companies, including Blue Cross-Blue Shield.
The Sleep Center works closely with physicians who refer patients. Those patients who do not have a primary physician can call the center at 459-2785. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
