When the “grandmother of sleep” started fielding daily calls about home sleep testing, the idea for the Progressive Medical Sleep Network took shape. Grandma, also known as Helen Kent, RRT, president of Progressive Medical, Carlsbad, Calif, saw a nationwide business opportunity in helping CPAP providers transform into leaders in ambulatory studies. “When we bought the exclusive rights to the WatchPat (the home sleep testing device) in our area, Helen started getting calls from across the country,” said Shannon Mulcahy, business development manager at Progressive. “She would spend hours educating people who were interested in doing proven home sleep studies. It was then that we decided to explore a sleep network where we educate and train home care companies on how to be successful and keep their patients compliant.”

So far, response has been positive and the network already has a waiting list. Providers already in the network will not have to worry that competitors down the street are getting the same advice, because Progressive gives regional exclusivity for 1 year. With the recent CMS decision on home testing as a catalyst, Progressive hopes to expand the network with a continuing focus on education. “We have about eight different variations on what you can buy from us,” says Melanie Arledge, manager. “If you want to do strictly home sleep testing—with the WatchPat 100—and learn how to interpret the studies and use the technology to solidify referral sources, we have education for that. If you want to learn how to market or need your clinicians to be educated, we have seminars for that.”

According to a press release issued by Progressive this week, membership entitles companies to several protocols including: marketing to the end user and driving traffic through the door; marketing and solidifying referrals from the physician base through education; and marketing to business organizations to improve productivity and decrease sick time. Contact smulcahy@progressivemed.org for more information.