Share This Press Release
For Immediate Release
4/23/2010
|
|
|
Holly Hosler
410-601-8678
|
Northwest Hospital Sleep Disorders Center Earns American Academy of Sleep Medicine Accreditation
|
|
Northwest Hospital is proud to announce that its Sleep Disorders Center has been awarded accreditation from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) – considered to be the gold standard for recognizing quality care among sleep centers. Fewer than 20 percent of sleep centers in the Mid-Atlantic have AASM accreditation. Of those that do, it is common for centers to receive an initial conditional accreditation, meaning that full accreditation is granted only after making some minor changes prescribed by the AASM. However, Northwest’s Sleep Disorders Center received full accreditation immediately, with no added provisos.
“The AASM accreditation reflects what we’ve known all along: that the quality of our staff, facilities and patient care is on par with the sleep centers housed in large, academic hospitals,” says Brian Bohner, M.D., medical director of Northwest’s Sleep Disorders Center. “Northwest Hospital provides a convenient location for top-of-the-line care to those who are in need of a sleep study and live or work in the northwest Baltimore metropolitan area.”
The accreditation comes after a rigorous survey of Northwest’s Sleep Disorders Center by the AASM that looked at areas such as patient safety, testing protocols, environmental cleanliness, and ongoing training of physicians and staff. The center provides a place where sleep and breathing patterns can be monitored and evaluated by sleep medicine specialists. With more than 85 identified sleep disorders that can rob a person of deep, restorative sleep – some of which potentially cause dangerous medical conditions such as high blood pressure – the team at Northwest’s Sleep Disorders Center is committed to diagnosing and treating patients as effectively as possible. The sleep labs at Northwest also provide for patient comfort by featuring hotel-like rooms with televisions, private bathrooms, luxurious linens and Select Comfort™ Sleep Number® beds. Along with Bohner, four other physicians serve the center: Murtuza M. Ahmed, M.D.; Mark S. Gosnell, M.D.; Steven A. Schonfeld, M.D.; and Abdallah I. Kafrouni, M.D.
AASM is a professional membership organization dedicated to the advancement of sleep medicine and sleep-related research. As the national accrediting body for sleep disorders centers and laboratories for sleep related breathing disorders, the AASM promotes the highest standards of patient care. The organization serves its members and advances the field of sleep health care by setting the clinical standards for the field of sleep medicine; advocating for recognition, diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders; educating professionals dedicated to providing optimal sleep health care and fostering the development and application of scientific knowledge.
Northwest Hospital is a part of LifeBridge Health, one of Baltimore’s largest health organizations that also includes Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital, and Courtland Gardens Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. For more information, visit www.lifebridgehealth.org.
More News...