Page 11 - HME Business, May 2018

World’s Adults Need Better Sleep Habits
Global report: Most adults think sleep is important, but don’t feel guilty for not prioritizing it.
3B Medical Acquires
World’s Smallest
Oxygen Concentrator
Purchase of R&D company includes intellectual property and regulatory approvals for three-pound POC.
Sleep therapy and oxygen equipment maker 3B Medical has acquired VBOX, a Minnesota research and development company that holds an array of intellectual property, including the design and regulatory approval for what it bills as the world’s smallest and lightest oxygen concentrator.
VBOX won FDA approval for the Trooper, a tiny POC, in 2012. The device features a seven-hour battery life and pulse dose with 1 to 5 LPM with a form factor small enough to fit in a waist pack.
“The Trooper is a major technological break- through for medical oxygen therapy, and we are thrilled to bring this device to our patients,” said William Still, VBOX CEO at the time, in a prepared statement. “For many medical conditions that require oxygen therapy, exercise and movement is key to maintaining lung function, so a truly wear- able oxygen therapy solution will make a significant difference in the quality of life for these individuals.”
The acquisition gives 3B Medical licensing rights to 14 U.S. patents, six pending U.S. patents, eight foreign patents and the design and regulatory approvals for the Trooper.
“The agreement provides 3B Medical with a very quick ramp to market for the most technolog- ically advanced wearable oxygen concentrator in the world. We are really excited by being able to finalize this deal because it positions 3B Medical as a global leader in the portable oxygen concen- trator product space,” said Alex Lucio, CEO of 3B Medical, in a prepared statement. n
vice president of VGM Respiratory. Lyman began his career as a respiratory therapist and has more than 20 years’ HME experience. Lyman has also served on multiple committees focused on patient outcomes and care.
“Dave’s experience as a respiratory therapist coupled with his knowledge of clinical, opera- tions, billing, management, and sales in the DME industry has been instrumental in building this program,” said Clint Geffert, president of VGM & Associates, in a prepared statement. “He has used his vast experience to create a robust respiratory offering that providers can use to enhance their existing business model or diversify into another, which is imperative in today’s environment.” n
Though nearly 7 in 10 adults (67 percent) said they consider sleep to have a significant effect on their health and wellbeing, nearly the opposite number, 29 percent, said they felt guilty for not incorporating healthy sleep habits into their lives. That’s far less than the same number of people who said they felt guilty for not exercising, at 49 percent, and not eating healthy, at 42 percent.
Those findings are from this year’s Philips sleep study, an annual survey that aims to look into what prevents people around the world from sleeping long enough and well enough.
This year’s report, “Better Sleep, Better Health: A Global Look at Why We’re Still Falling Short on Sleep,” is based on survey results from more than 15,000 respondents in 13 countries.
Key findings of the report include:
• 61 percent of those surveyed said they have a
medical issue that affects their sleep, with 26 percent and 21 percent saying they’ve experi- enced insomnia and snoring, respectively;
• 77 percent of respondents said they have actively taken steps to improve their sleep;
• Soothing music (36 percent) and a routine bedtime and waking schedule (32 percent) were among the most common methods respondents reported using to improve their sleep;
• The steps that people take to improve their sleep, however, vary between countries, with Indians reporting that they turn to meditation at a rate
of 45 percent, while Polish and Chinese respon- dents were most likely to seek to improve their air quality at 33 and 31 percent, respectively;
• Worry is a common impediment to sleep, according to respondents, with 58 percent reporting that worry has kept them awake within
the last three months, as are distractions from
technology, cited by 26 percent of respondents; • Commonly cited results of poor sleep included
looking tired (46 percent), irritability (41 percent), lack of motivation (39 percent) and trouble concentrating (also 39 percent);
• Adults aged 18-24 were outliers “throughout the global results,” according to information released by Philips, with those respondents being less likely by nine percentage points
than other groups to report a regular bedtime and waking schedule, but also reporting more regular sleep, at an average of 7.2 hours per night versus 6.9 average hours reported by people 25 and older. They were also more likely to say they feel guilty about not getting enough sleep and to tell researchers they’ve tried to do something about it.
“Sleep is the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle. On a day to day basis, how well and how long we slept the night before is the single most important variable dictating how we feel,” said David White, chief medical officer for Philips Sleep & Respiratory Care, in a prepared statement. “Thus inadequate sleep can have an immediate impact on our well- being unlike exercise or diet. This survey shows that despite knowing sleep is important to overall health, people are still struggling to address it in the same way they would exercise or nutrition. The more we understand how sleep impacts every- thing we do, the better we can adjust our lifestyle and find solutions that help us get better sleep.”
The report was released in coordination with World Sleep Day, which was World Sleep Day, which is March 16 . For access to the report visit sleepapnea.com/worldsleepday. n
VGM Launches New Respiratory Service
Initiative aims to support respiratory equipment providers via a variety of services and vendor relationships.
VGM has launched a new program, VGM Respiratory, that aims to provide resources tailored to providers of respiratory equipment.
Designed for both companies that specialize in respiratory equipment and those looking to add it as a new line of business, the new program will offer members various services. Benefits include webi- nars and continuing education units for respiratory
therapists, profitability calculators, a ListServe community for peer-to-peer support, resources focused on policy and procedure, billing tips and incremental growth ideas.
Respiratory vendors participating in the new initia- tive include Afflovest; Philips Respironics; Invacare; Medtronic; WestMed; and Teleflex Medical.
Dave Lyman will head up the new program as
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