Oventus Medical gains traction in DME channel

BRISBANE, Australia - Oventus Medical, which makes oral devices to treat obstructive sleep apnea, has snagged a key contract in its quest to leverage the DME channel as part of its go-to-market strategy.

Oventus announced last week an agreement with the Asheville, N.C.-based Aeroflow Healthcare to provide its O2Vent Optima through the provider's locations and direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform, and through agreements with referring sleep clinics across the Southeastern U.S.

“DMEs need to know there are models out there that can lead to better patient outcomes, especially when the patient refuses, fails or otherwise is noncompliant with CPAP,” said Robin Randolph, senior vice president of sales, marketing and operations for Oventus. “You don't have to lose that patient.”

In addition, Aeroflow will offer the O2Vent Optima under subcontracts with regional sleep groups across the U.S.

Oventus previously announced in February that it had launched a “lab-in-lab” business model in 14 out of the 36 sites contracted, including in South Carolina, Illinois and Texas. Under the model, dentists take scans of the mouths of patients within hybrid sleep facilities that also offer DME to fit them for oral devices.

“Everyone talks about collaborative care, but no one puts it together,” Randolph said. “We've found a legitimate way to provide a collaborative care model to the sleep channel, including DME companies that meet a certain profile.”

Oventus also announced in February that CMS's Pricing, Analysis and Coding Contractor had approved the O2Vent Optima, which is made from 3D-printed, medical grade nylon, for Medicare reimbursement.

“Every other oral device that's PDAC approved is acrylic with metal hinges,” Randolph said. “There's an existing concern from dentists of metal in the mouth.”