As HIT Consultants, it wouldn’t surprise anyone to learn that the EMRSoap office is a little nerdy. We haven’t done a census, but there is at least one Lego Star Wars spaceship per desk.
All the same, we think it’s impossible not to be sympathetic towards the iconic opposite of our nerdiness: the American tackle football player. In the several years, there’s been significant coverage of the health risks that football players face, from increased risk to suicide, death, and dementia due to brain injuries, to increased risk of catastrophic cervical spine injuries. Surprisingly, making people repeatedly smash their heads against things turns out to have health risks, like impaired memory.
One of our favorite clients, Dr. Carstensen DDS, is doing great work on publicizing an issue relevant to the better health of both football players and the general public. He specializes in Sleep Apnea, a condition found in 60% of retired linemen. The condition is connected to snoring, although it is much more serious than just that. Untreated, sleep apnea causes increased risk of stroke, heart attack, diabetes, and cancer.
His practice, partnering with former NFL players like Alonzo Mitz, Derek Kennard and Jacob Green, put on an event entitled ‘Tackling Sleep Apnea’ last month, aiming to use Football’s popularity to spread the message about Sleep Apnea.
Dr. Carstensen was quoted in the Seattle PI, saying “This campaign was created to generate awareness and that in turn could potentially save lives. Many people are not aware of the health-risks associated with sleep apnea or even if they have it; that is why it is important to generate awareness about this potentially deadly condition.”
Dr. Carstensen, the President Elect of The American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, is somewhat of a groundbreaker in the field of Sleep Apnea. He’s pioneered a new, less invasive method of combatting Sleep Apnea with a retainer-like device called oral appliance therapy. This tool has overcome a barrier in treatment, and allows more people to protect themselves against the risks of Sleep Apnea.
We’re really proud to support a clinician like Dr. Carstensen DDS with our HIT expertise. It’s why we’re in the game. Helping Dr. Carstensen run his office safer and smarter gives him the security to do his job better and save more lives. We want Dr. Carstensen, and every practice we work with, to focus on treating patients, not network issues.
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