Precision Pulmonary Diagnostics, creators of a sleep apnea detection and treatment program targeted toward the commercial vehicle industry, announced today, Feb. 12, a strategic alliance with Avastra Sleep Centers Limited, the second-largest sleep diagnostic medical group in the nation. PPD says the agreement will greatly expand its network of diagnostic labs and enable the company to better serve its growing list of trucking company customers.
“This strategic alliance with Avastra is the next step in our growth and will allow PPD to provide its sleep apnea testing, education, equipment and support services for trucking companies and their drivers in more locations,” says Dr. Mark B. Berger, president of Precision Pulmonary Diagnostics. Berger says PPD will continue to use its existing network of accredited independent labs in Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, Indianapolis, Chicago and Monroeville, Pa. “Our new alliance with Avastra means that we and our customers will have the flexibility to use facilities all over the country,” he says.
Avastra Sleep Centers is one of the fastest-growing sleep diagnostic companies in the United States, with a current total of 33 separate diagnostic sleep centers in 13 different states. Within the past year, Avastra has acquired six sleep diagnostic companies, including Pacific Sleep Medicine in the West, somniSleep Group in the Midwest, and various sleep diagnostic operations in Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake City and Phoenix, as well as upstate New York and the west coast of Florida.
“At Avastra, our Board Certified Sleep Specialists are committed to providing the highest quality of medical care to all of our patients, in all aspects of the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders,” says Steven Hull, chief executive officer of Avastra Sleep Centers. “With our newly-formed strategic alliance with Precision Pulmonary Diagnostics, we are able to further expand our expertise to an extremely important patient population – truck drivers who travel the roads across our nation. With the PPD program in place, we not only provide expert medical care, but we are able to better protect the safety of everyone who uses our roads.”
Avastra’s chief medical officer, Milton K. Erman, says the issues of transportation safety, especially among truck drivers, have always been a high priority for Avastra’s sleep specialists. “Truck drivers need to understand that if it turns out that they do have a sleep disorder, such as Obstructive Sleep Apnea, or OSA, they are also likely to suffer from a variety of associated health problems, like excessive daytime sleepiness, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, obesity and even diabetes,” Erman says. “By diagnosing and treating their OSA, we can help truck drivers improve their overall health by reducing the likelihood or severity of these associated medical conditions – as long as they comply with their treatment.”
