Frequently Asked Questions
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What is Sleep Apnea?
There are two types of Sleep Apnea: Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Central Sleep Apnea.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) OSA occurs when the soft tissue at the back of the throat collapses and partially or completely blocks the airway during sleep. This keeps the air from getting into the lungs. This is a very common sleep disorder. It happens because the muscles inside the throat relax as you sleep. Blockage of the airway can happen a few times a night or several hundred times per night.
Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) CSA occurs when the brain fails to tell the lungs to breathe during sleep. As this signal is lost, the lungs do not take in the oxygen that your body needs. CSA is less common than OSA.
Medical professionals and insurance carriers recognize Sleep Apnea as life threatening. For a person with Sleep Apnea breathing stops from 10 to 60 seconds at a time and these events can occur up to 120 times an hour during sleep.
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What is a sleep study?
A sleep study is a non-invasive, painless evaluation of your sleep. A sleep study (or polysomnogram) helps us see how you sleep at night. It involves spending the night at our sleep center. The test begins at night and lasts until the morning, as would a normal night of sleep. Every patient will have their own private, clean and home-like bedroom with television and bathrooms located right outside the rooms. For the study, electrodes are attached with paste to monitor your brain waves, stages of sleep, breathing patterns, oxygen levels, muscle tone, leg movements, and heart rhythm. You are able to move from side to side and get up to go to the bathroom. Our friendly sleep technologists make every effort to make your stay with us as comfortable as possible.
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Do I have to have an office visit before my sleep study?
Yes, per most insurance guidelines a face-to-face office visit with your provider of choice is required.
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How and when do I obtain the results of my sleep study?
Analyzing a sleep study is a time-consuming process. Each 30-second interval is carefully examined for multiple variables including sleep stage, breathing patterns, heart rhythm, muscle tone, movements, and awakenings. The fully analyzed data is reviewed by our board-certified sleep specialist who will provide the final interpretation. A final sleep study report is then prepared and sent to your referring physician and to your primary care physician. This process usually takes 6-10 days. Please allow at least 2 weeks before you schedule your follow-up visit with your physician to review these results and for treatment recommendations. Feel free to contact our center if you would like a copy mailed or fax to you as well.
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Why am I receiving two different bills for the sleep study?
​All polysomnography services consist of two components: the administration of the test (the technical component) and the provider’s interpretation of the test (the professional component). Providers generally bill separately for the technical and professional components when each is performed by a different provider; some providers may perform only one component of the service. If a provider bills for the two components together, it is referred to as a “global service.” There is no financial advantage to billing separately for each component as opposed to billing for a global service.Please note that we operate in separate billing systems, Medprime bills for the administration of the test and Dr. Arabshahi bills for the interpretation. As a result, you may receive two separate billing statements, depending on services rendered.
Feel free to contact us at 703-897-1185 if you have any additional questions.