Putting Sleep Apnea Testing In High Gear Speeding up the screening to diagnosis to therapy process is a win-win for commercial truck drivers with obstructive sleep apnea and their employers. By Brittan West A key reason obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) remains largely undiagnosed in the commercial truck driver population stems from drivers’ fears that diagnosis may affect their eco- nomic and employment status. And these fears are not unfounded, according to experts. “Typically, if a company does not offer a [sleep apnea manage- ment] program, a driver can miss many weeks of work—from the point of getting screened to the point of being on therapy 22 • sleepreviewmag.com SR_22_27_Truckers.indd 22 with a PAP device. Think about your own experience with try- ing to schedule an appointment with your physician. It can often take weeks,” says Steven Garrish, senior vice president, Business Development and New Ventures at SleepSafe Drivers. Garrish also worked at JB Hunt Transport Company Inc and at Walmart, where he served as senior director–Private Fleet Safety. “When you factor in a typical in-lab test, time to show compliance with the device, and then follow-up visits for the sleep physician to read the NOVEMBER 2015 10/22/15 8:34 PM