Consultations With Sleep Specialist Covered By Alberta and NWT Health
Residents of Alberta and NWT with a valid health care card have their consultation fully covered by Alberta and NWT Health. Our services such as physician consultations and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi) are covered by Alberta and NWT Health. Level 3 studies are offered at no cost. The Sleep Institute has CBTi (cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia) services where you will have access to a registered sleep behaviour specialists to help you sleep better. These services are also covered under Alberta and NWT Health . Any additional services that are not covered by Alberta Health (i.e Level 1 Sleep Testing) will be discussed with you in advance. For example, CPAP trials are not covered, but patients are only responsible for the cost of the mask and hoses as these are not reusable. However, the cost of a CPAP trial will be credited towards a purchase of a CPAP machine CPAP machines, accessories, and sanitizing equipment are considered private pay, but may be covered by 3rd party insurance providers.
Step 1: Physician Referral or Self-Referral
To access our services, please click on the referral form and have your family doctor fill it out, or have them fax us a referral letter.
Self-referrals are also welcome, simply contact us to begin your journey towards better sleep and quality of life. We will still keep your Family Physician apprised of your care.
Healthcare professionals can contact educator@thesleepinstitute.ca for more information on how we can work together to provide Physician-led care for your patients.
Step 2: Get In Touch With Our Clinic & Fill In The Questionnaire
The Sleep Screeing Questionnaire is designed to determine whether you have Obstructive Sleep Apnea, the severity of your Sleep apnea and whether you have another sleep disorder that requires a Sleep Specialist assessment. Based on the questionnaire, there are 3 outcomes.
1) High risk for sleep apnea
If you are identified as being at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea, a sleep study will be arranged for you to determine the best approach to treating your sleep apnea. You will be instructed to participate in a level 3 test. Following the results of the test you may go through a trial phase with a CPAP device in order to determine its efficacy and your overall tolerance for the device. or you may be offered alternative treatments based on the results of your sleep study.
2) Not high
If you are not considered at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea you will have a consultation with a Sleep Specialist Physician. In this consultation a thorough assessment will be conducted and a Sleep Specialist Physician will speak with you about the next steps in the process. It is extremely important to use proper diagnostic techniques and testing after clinical assessment to properly diagnose your condition which then guides the correct management for your specific situation.
3) Low/ Inconclusive
If the cause of your sleep disturabance is identified as low risk for sleep apnea, you will meet with a Sleep Specialist Physician in order to determine the root causes of the issue and identify the correct management.
Step 3: If necessary, meet with a sleep specialist to define sleep treatment
Step 4: Treatment
Dependiong on your diagnosis, the Sleep Specialist Physician will advise what the best therapy will be for you. This may include any combination of sleep behaviour therapy, medications, and/or obstructive sleep apnea devices (CPAP machine, oral appliance therapy, other OSA devices).
If you do require a CPAP machine, our Sleep Specialist Physician can provide you a prescription and connect you with our highly qualified team to do a CPAP trial. If you already have a prescription, please contact us to set up a trial or CPAP fitting.