Persante spreads its expertise

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. - Persante Health Care has joined the American Public Transportation Association to expand its sleep testing and therapy services into the transportation industry, one of a number of moves aimed at growing the provider's presence in this growing market.

Joseph LaPorta, CEO, points to costs that run into the billions each year associated with workplace accidents as a driving force in the growth potential of this market.

“Within transportation and in the workplace, there are real opportunities to address this epidemic of obstructive sleep apnea,” he said. “It's a natural progression for us because we do so much with sleep already.”

Persante, which traces its roots back nearly 20 years, formed in 2012 with the merger of four existing companies: Sleep Care Centers, Sleep Tech, Mid-Atlantic School of Sleep Medicine and Blackwood Medical. The company provides sleep management and balance disorder services to hospitals in 10 states, and provides home sleep testing and CPAP therapy to patients in 48 states.

In the face of challenges like competitive bidding and reimbursement cuts, the company stays focused on three things, LaPorta says: quality, efficiency and access. To that effect, the provider recently launched a 24/7 sleep-coaching program and has seen compliance rates jump above the national average.

“When we talk about quality we are really talking about patient adherence to therapy,” he said. “At the end of the day, we have to tie that quality to outcomes.”

Another recent innovation: Persante ships CPAP equipment directly to the home and a respiratory therapist sets the patient up virtually, often by telephone.

“Our surveys are telling us there is a good number of patients that want to receive their care this way,” said LaPorta. “As with any new program there's a little disruption, but it's more convenient and we do still offer other options (like in-person set-ups).”

As growing awareness of the importance of sleep creates further expansion of the market, Persante will also continue to grow its geographic footprint, says LaPorta.

“Our focus will continue to be on sleep—the diagnostics and therapy,” he said. “The epidemic of obstructive sleep apnea is an untapped market that needed to be addressed and Persante is really an expert on the subject of sleep.”