One of the essential parts of human activity throughout our lives is sleep. Everybody needs good quality sleep every night to get that much-needed rest for a better performance during the day. However, one in five people suffers from sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea causes breathing to repeatedly stop and start during sleep. This may potentially become a serious sleep disorder. As such, if you snore loudly and feel tired even after a full night’s sleep, you might have sleep apnea. Although, in some cases, some people who suffer from sleep apnea may not be aware that their sleep was interrupted. And, they might continue to think that they had a good night’s sleep last night.

Here comes Blackstone Medical Services that offers home sleep testing to diagnose if you have such a disorder. They provide innovative diagnostic technology at an affordable price. The testing devices are easy to use, and you can even use them in the comfort of your own home. The diagnostic equipment that is used by Blackstone is manufactured to the highest technical standards – done by one of the biggest global manufacturers of medical equipment used in the field of diagnosis and treatment of sleep breathing disorders.

Sleep apnea that is left untreated can cause more severe health issues. Having certain factors can get you more chances of having sleep apnea, these include excess weight, neck circumference, being older, being male, using alcohol or sedatives, pregnant women, among many others. With any concerns about any of the following, don’t be afraid to talk to a physician.

Blackstone Medical Services is composed of skilled health workers to offer you excellent quality services to your needs. Blackstone understands the needs of its patients when it comes to testing. They have developed services that fit perfectly with those needs. They are named as the national provider for the “At Home Sleep Test,” being able to provide a diagnosis to patients with faster results in a more cost-effective approach. They are experienced in terms of providing an excellent experience to its patients, serving accurate and quick results.

Blackstone also offers dental therapy solutions for sleep apnea, with the Mandibular Advancement Devices. Advancement of the mandible has shown to reduce and even eradicate the obstruction that causes this breathing disruption.

Aside from home sleep testing, they also have 24-hour toll-free telephone support with a live representative that is available 24-hours a day, seven days a week, throughout the whole year. You can contact them by calling 1-888-710-2727 and speak with a representative. Another way to connect will be through a live chat, questions and inquiries may be asked with a representative between 8 am to 5 pm EST Monday to Friday. For more information about the home sleep test, you can watch their instructional videos through their website.

Blackstone Medical Services believes that if patients have the proper education, training, and support, they are much more likely to go through the therapy that is prescribed. Blackstone gives a holistic approach to caring for their patients from providing the best equipment and supplies through the journey of therapy. They understand the importance of providing an excellent quality experience for their patient’s needs. This is exactly what makes them an Inc 5000 company.

To know about the company, you may connect with its founder, Vick Tipnes through Instagram @vicktipnes, or you can visit his website through www.vicktipnes.net

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Born in London, England, and immigrated to Florida as a young boy alongside his family, Vick Tipnes had always dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur. As a young boy growing up, he always looked up to his father, who was also an entrepreneur. Sometimes, Vick would ask him if he would invest in a company that would own someday, the glimmer in his 12-year-old eyes just sparkling from sheer excitement.

Vick’s older brother would give him his RayBan Aviator sunglasses when he got tired of them, and Vick would call the Tallahassee Tribune and place an ad to sell the used sunglasses. Then, one fateful day a man showed up in front of the Tipnes’ doorstep, his dad answered, and the man said he was there to see about the ad that he placed in the Tribune. Vick’s dad looked at him funny that day, proud and astounded by what his son had accomplished, Vick was 60 dollars richer that day.

And so, the time came when he had to decide if he wanted to pursue a degree in college. After graduated high school, he really didn’t see himself in college; he knew he had to lead a different path in life. His parents pushed for education, though, seeing as his older brothers went to college, it seemed like the only logical way.  Vick tried to keep an open mind and decided to actually go to college, but after six months, he dropped out in pursuit of his real goal in mind, entrepreneurship.

There were a number of challenges he had to face before he became the well-established entrepreneur that he is today. He wasn’t always born with great salesmanship skills; he had to acknowledge that weakness and come up with a strategy to overcome it. So without a second thought, he quickly dove into the world of selling cars. As a car salesman, he quickly patched up his weak salesmanship and greatly bolstered his confidence as he had to deal with people and actually convince them to buy a car to close his deals.  He looks fondly at this experience as it forced him to adapt to his environment as quickly and as efficiently as possible, it was sinking or swimming.

After amassing experience and the technical knowledge that he felt that he was lacking, Vick felt that it was finally time to put his dream to work. He started various businesses at this point, but over the course of time, the businesses were struggling, and he had to sell them. He knew that he hadn’t really reached his full potential, the image he saw of himself years ago was definitely not this man, not yet. It wasn’t until Vick turned 35 years old that he realized what he really had to do in order to amount to anything in life. At the time, he had little to no money under his name, he didn’t even have a sofa, but he had what was important at that point – belief in himself. So he invested every dollar he had to improve himself; he started learning and educating himself as much as he could. The firebrand entrepreneur was not giving up that easily. He knew that he had to reach for his dream no matter what, he knew that if he became the best version of himself, it would not only help himself but also the people around him.

Almost everyone has dreams and aspirations, and it’s an ambition that keeps us from working hard and striving for great results. However, in reality, only a small fraction of individuals all over the world actually succeed in their chosen path. It’s the sad reality of the world that we live in; most people give up and aren’t willing to sacrifice and do the things they have to do in order to succeed.

Most of the time, these failures are attributed to nothing more than excuses, if you have a certain goal in you have to accept the fact that the road will be paved with struggles, obstacles, and different hurdles. In order for someone to achieve a level of success, they must struggle and embrace the struggle, persevere through the struggle, and accept that there will be more struggles ahead. One must prepare themselves for every challenge that will come their way, Vick realized this and has managed to future-proof himself with the knowledge and skills to overcome any obstacle that comes his way. He acknowledged that problems will always come to every step of the way, and it was up to him to be able to handle those problems by being prepared.

“All of this stuff is gonna hit you on your way, and the most effective way to get through it is for you to look upon all of those things as what they really are, and that is a test. These tests come upon your path to see if you really want it. For what good is to reach a goal or accomplish a feat, if it is just handed to you on a silver platter.” Writes Vick on his blog about business, and much of this is true, much of it is what Vick had to go through, and he has persevered through everything no matter what. And it’s as clear as day that all of his hard work and sacrifice has definitely paid off.

Vick then started Blackstone Medical Services in 2012, with the sole purpose of helping as many people as he could through better cost, access, and quality of services. The business started from a 400 sq. ft. office, without any revenue, one employee, and a loan from an investor. Putting his employees first, Vick had to make sacrifices and sometimes not accept any payments because he had to take care of his employees first.

Today, Blackstone Medical Services has over 150 employees and is a multi-million dollar revenue company. They have grown into a national company that does business in over 38 states all across America. They are contracted with over 17 million lives via various Insurance Providers, and they provide a level of services to their Patients, Physicians, and Insurance Providers that are unmatched.

With the level of dedication, ambition, and resilience that Vick Tipnes had, it was only a matter of time until he finally succeeded in achieving his childhood dream. He has truly become an inspiration to thousands of budding entrepreneurs, he is a tale of triumph over tribulations, and it is a story that should be heard by everyone around the world. The story of “A Man on a Mission,” the story of Vick Tipnes, and how he never backed down until he could safely say: “Mission Accomplished.”

Link to Article: https://thefrisky.com/vick-tipnes/

Vick Tipnes always knew that he wanted to be an entrepreneur at a very young age. Born in London, England, he immigrated to Florida as a young boy along with his family. His father was also an entrepreneur, so he had someone close to him whom he could ask about the industry. He used to ask his father if he would invest in a business that Vick founded, he was 13 at the time. One day, Vick called the Tallahassee Tribune and placed an ad to sell them. Eventually, a man showed up at their doorstep and asked to see Vick.

It turns out the man was responding to Vick’s ad, the man gave him 60 dollars and went on his way. Naturally, Vick’s dad would look at him funny, but Vick was 60 dollars richer that day, so he didn’t mind. Vick often claims that he wasn’t born with great salesmanship and that he still had a lot to learn back then, and he knew he had to learn it quickly. So, Vick went for it and threw himself to the wolves, working as a car salesman to get a grasp on salesmanship and improve his skills. It was there and then that Vick built up his confidence, he looks back at his experience selling cars and sees it fondly.

After a while, Vick struggled through starting various businesses and eventually had to sell them. He knew hadn’t really reached his full potential yet. After a couple of years, when Vick turned 38 years old, he woke up and realized that he needs to truly invest in himself. Once the ball started rolling, everything changed for Vick and his career. He went ahead and started to educate himself more and take action to define his purpose in life.

It was at that time that Vick established his company called Blackstone Medical Services in 2012, straight from his very own Kitchen. After struggling for quite a while, he finally realized his purpose, and that was to provide better quality, access, and costs for Patients, Providers, and Insurance Companies. The road ahead was paved with struggles.

There were times when Vick would lose funding and almost everything else one could imagine. At one point in 2013, after having only been established for a year, Vick was merely three days away from being completely bankrupt. With $78.00 dollars left to his name, he knew he had to work harder than ever before.

Eventually, Vick’s sacrifices and all his hard work finally paid off, since then Blackstone has grown into becoming one of the largest providers of Home Sleep Testing services in the USA. Blackstone recently made the coveted Inc 5000 list in 2016 and was ranked 1276 out of 5000 companies in the country, based on its 345% growth.

Blackstone currently has over 150 employees and is now a multi-million dollar revenue company. They have grown into a national company that does business in over 50 states in America. They are contracted with over 17 million lives via various Insurance Providers, providing an unmatched level of service to their clients.

It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to get there, the struggles may sometimes be daunting, but it is always in your best intentions never to quit. Vick Tipnes is a testament to never giving up. Once he realized his purpose, he grabbed the opportunities that came his way and kept his eyes on the prize.

Link to Article: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/finding-purpose-never-giving-vick-013500550.html

Since the population is more tuned to seeing their dentist / dental hygienist on a more regular basis than their physician, in the absence of a specific problem, dentists and dental hygienists are well-positioned to screen and identify these potentially deadly conditions. As a result, you have patients in your office right now who are either undiagnosed for OSA or may be non-compliant with PAP (CPAP) therapy.

Traditionally, diagnosing the disorder could be inconvenient and costly because an overnight sleep study in a sleep lab or hospital was required to do so. Blackstone Medical Services has a solution for dentists and patients: we provide innovative home diagnostic testing for OSA that solves many of the problems providers currently face. Our testing services provide patients with better access to testing as they can complete these tests in the comfort of their own home, at a fraction of the cost of lab or hospital facility-based studies.

Patient compliance is often thought to be difficult to monitor with an unattended at-home study compared to overnight monitored testing. This is one of the primary reasons many dentists are hesitant to prescribe an at-home test. But it’s not the case. A 2013 study in the journal Sleep Review found that “the home testing pathway is not clinically inferior to the traditional PSG pathway.” Their findings have been confirmed in studies that looked at specific patient populations including those published in Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine in 2012 and 2014. The overwhelming body of clinical evidence supports at-home OSA diagnosis as an effective measure.

Managing in-office OSA testing devices – with the emergence of Dental Sleep Medicine, HST device manufacturers approached dentists to buy their own devices. Many dentists bought their own testing devices only to find that managing these devices lead to significant problems such as needing a dedicated staff person to manage devices, ongoing supply costs, device loss or damage, and patient delays in returning devices to name but a few, that leads to greater costs without the implied benefits to the bottom line.

Our experience, having spoken to many offices that have bought their own devices, is that trying to maintain one’s own devices leads to more resistance to testing rather than making this a more simple and efficient testing method for both the office staff and the patient. Leave the problems of device inventory loss or damage and delays in return to Blackstone Medical Services so that your staff can concentrate on the duties that give you a greater return.

In addition, Blackstone Medical Services is a JCAHO, AHCA, and Medicare accredited Independent Diagnostic Testing Facility. Utilizing our testing process allows the separation of testing from therapy.

Finding Sleep Doctors if your patient does not have a Primary Care Physician or you need to consult with a Sleep Specialist, depending on your location, we may be able to connect you with a PCP that is familiar with treating sleep or a Sleep Specialist in your area.

The Preferred Choice HST Service At Blackstone Medical Services, we understand the challenges that dentists face in diagnosing and treating OSA. Partnering with us reduces the barriers to testing that your patients face in terms of convenience and cost, without loss of accuracy, which in turn results in more opportunities to help patients receive the care they need and to stay on treatment for this potentially life-threatening condition.

If you need more information about how OSA is affecting your patients, visit any one of the links below. And if you’re ready to begin helping your patients with the highest in HST excellence, Blackstone Medical Services is ready to assist you. Contact us today to learn how.

Sources:

http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/2013/02/home-sleep-testing-versus-in-lab-polysomnography/
http://www.atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1164/ajrccm-conference.2012.185.1_MeetingAbstracts.A6437
http://www.atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1164/ajrccm-conference.2014.189.1_MeetingAbstracts.A3591

OSA is effectively treated by two therapies – Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) therapy, and Oral Appliances (OA) – with neither being a panacea and each having its benefits and pitfalls. The choice of which therapy is used should be predicated on what is best for the individual sufferer in terms of handling the severity of the condition and their tolerance for each modality. With physicians favoring PAP therapy and established by the AASM as the “Gold Standard” in treating OSA, dentists have the task of educating their fellow physician practitioners on the role that Oral Appliances can play in the effective management of OSA.

Studies show that more than 30% of patients prescribed PAP therapy never initiate treatment and further, 15% of those that do start treatment, abandon therapy after 10 – 15 months. The reasons for this are complex and require their own research and correction, but suffice to say, patients are reluctant to wear the PAP machine paraphernalia and may have difficulty adapting to forced airflow. Conversely, studies show 75 – 100% compliance with oral appliances for up to 2 years and 75 – 90% up to 5 years.

However, prior to Home Sleep Testing, with the only path to OSA diagnosis through physician-centric sleep laboratories, unfamiliar with OA therapy and the role they can play in OSA management, many dentists found the patients they referred to a sleep lab ending up on PAP therapy without an objective discussion on the relative merits of each therapy.

There is probably little disagreement amongst physicians and dentists that instruction and training in each other’s proficiencies are limited and a greater understanding of each therapy and an inter-disciplinary approach to managing a patient’s condition might lead to better outcomes.

Sources:

http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/2013/02/home-sleep-testing-versus-in-lab-polysomnography/
http://www.atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1164/ajrccm-conference.2012.185.1_MeetingAbstracts.A6437
http://www.atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1164/ajrccm-conference.2014.189.1_MeetingAbstracts.A3591