Patients Can Now Visit Their Dentist for Treatment and Monitoring of Sleep Apnea

MELVILLE, N.Y., Nov. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Henry Schein, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSIC), the largest provider of health care products and services to office-based practitioners, today announced the launch of its Sleep Complete™ program, a new integrated comprehensive solution that provides all of the information and products necessary for the successful implementation of dental sleep medicine into the dental practice.  Henry Schein Dental's Sleep Complete program was developed in collaboration with Nierman Practice Management, Modern Dental Laboratory USA and Itamar Medical.

Henry Schein Dental's Sleep Complete program provides tools to address all of the key components of dental sleep medicine:  education, treatment, reimbursement and monitoring. The Sleep Complete package includes the Dental Writer™ Diagnostic Report Writer and Medical Billing Software for Dentistry through Nierman Practice Management.  This specialty software simplifies the billing and reimbursement process for dentists on procedures that require reimbursement from the patients' medical insurance and provides the tools needed to easily submit reimbursement paperwork at the click of a button.  Additionally, as part of the Sleep Complete package, Henry Schein Dental is offering dentists registration to the Nierman Practice Management two-day "Successful Implementation of Dental Sleep Medicine" seminars featuring Dr. John H. Tucker, D.M.D., Diplomate ABDSM, Diplomate ICOI.  These two-day live educational courses offered around the country as well as one-hour webinars provide dentists with a comprehensive overview of sleep disorders and guide them in successfully incorporating dental sleep medicine into their practice. 

The Sleep Complete package also includes the oral appliance starter kit from Modern Dental Laboratory USA that consists of pre-paid vouchers for The Moses™, the EMA® First Step and EMA® Custom oral appliances as well as marketing materials and other useful tools for the dentist to incorporate this therapy solution into their practice.  This selected range of oral appliances offer options suited to all types of patients. These appliances are all FDA cleared for the treatment of snoring and mild to moderate sleep apnea, or for patients that cannot tolerate CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure).

The final component of the Sleep Complete package is the WatchPAT™ testing device provided through Itamar Medical.  WatchPAT is a user-friendly, non-invasive, portable sleep testing device that gathers data related to the patient's sleep tendencies that can be interpreted by a sleep physician and used by the dentist to titrate the oral appliance being used for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.  Dentists utilize the WatchPAT portable sleep monitoring device in collaboration with the patient's physician. 

"Sleep apnea is a serious health problem, and dental sleep medicine presents a very promising practice extension opportunity for dentists," said Tim Sullivan, President of Henry Schein Dental.  "Our Sleep Complete program provides all of the key tools and guidance necessary to help dentists easily navigate the intricacies of treatment, reimbursement and monitoring, and makes it simple for our dentist customers to successfully incorporate dental sleep medicine into their practices."

Sleep apnea, which occurs when the tongue and soft tissues fall back into the throat and block the airway during sleep, is a very serious health condition.  According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, approximately one-half of people who snore loudly have obstructive sleep apnea, which can contribute to an increased risk for high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, depression, memory and concentration problems, obesity, excessive daytime sleepiness, and driving accidents.  The American Academy of Sleep Medicine also notes that while an estimated 18 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, 80-90 percent remain undiagnosed. 

The Sleep Complete package will be offered to dentists through a bundled financing package through Henry Schein Financial Services, significantly lowering the financial barrier to entry that often faces dentists interested in incorporating sleep medicine into their practice.

About Henry Schein, Inc.
Henry Schein, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSIC), the largest provider of health care products and services to office-based practitioners, is a Fortune 500® company and a member of the NASDAQ 100® Index.  The Company is recognized for its excellent customer service and highly competitive prices.  Henry Schein's five businesses – Dental, Medical, Animal Health, International and Technology – serve more than 700,000 customers worldwide, including dental practitioners and laboratories, physician practices and animal health practices, as well as government and other institutions.  The Company operates through a centralized and automated distribution network, which provides customers in more than 200 countries with a comprehensive selection of more than 90,000 national and Henry Schein private-brand products in stock, as well as more than 100,000 additional products available as special-order items.  Henry Schein also provides exclusive, innovative technology offerings for dental, medical and veterinary professionals, including value-added practice management software and electronic health record solutions.

Headquartered in Melville, N.Y., Henry Schein employs more than 14,000 people and has operations or affiliates in 25 countries.  The Company's net sales reached a record $7.5 billion in 2010.  For more information, visit the Henry Schein Web site at www.henryschein.com. 

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SOURCE Henry Schein, Inc.