No silver bullet, no problem: Daybreak bets on more options for sleep apnea

LOS ANGELES – Daybreak has paired a new awareness campaign – aimed at making March Sleep Apnea Awareness Month across multiple states – with increased hiring and channel expansion, underscoring its push to reach millions of undiagnosed patients.

“We’re at a point where we can start changing how people think about sleep apnea – its severity and how it’s treated,” said CEO Wesley Lones. “There’s no silver bullet. Different treatments work for different people, and our goal is to raise awareness that a range of effective options exists. We’re one of them.”

HME News: Daybreak has been growing at a rapid pace. What is driving that?

Wesley Lones: We think there's opportunity for a variety of (sleep apnea) treatments. We are not specific to only offering oral appliance therapy. Most people don't know this but our prescriptions, where appropriate, that come from physicians licensed in each state, typically have both an oral appliance and a CPAP prescription attached so that we can make sure that we're offering a holistic view of the patient. And then you pair that lastly with a really easy patient journey that is something where people literally don't have to leave their home.

HME: You recently brought on board industry veteran Eric Mongeau, formerly of Aeroflow Health. What perspective does he bring to Daybreak?

Lones: As we expand, one of our fastest growing channels right now is the DME channel. And so, it was fortuitous that the timing seemed to work out on both sides. Eric brings a wealth of experience, specifically in the DME category. He has a unique executive presence with a sales orientation and background, and he’s incredibly motivating to the team.

HME: What’s driving the rapid growth of the DME channel?

Lones: It's the first time they really have another treatment option in their care bag. They are able to go back and talk to the doctor, get a new prescription, if that's what's necessary in that scenario, and then be able to treat these patients with an effective treatment modality that we know is highly compliant and works incredibly well.

HME: Let’s talk about the awareness campaign. What is your approach and what do you hope to accomplish?

Lones: There's 70 million people suffering from sleep apnea. People die from this and 41% of those people are women, which I think is a huge shocker for most people. So how do we go out and create awareness for all of these individuals? I met with many people – senators, assembly men and women, people from the governor's office. I met with the insurance commissioner of California. And every single one of them has a story. Either they have it, their family member has it, their friend has it, and they are, for the most part, not being actively treated today. This idea of a resolution (in California) emerged. (The resolution) had 61 co-authors. There was no opposition. Everybody was completely bipartisan, which, you know, doesn't happen a lot in the country. Now we've got it in Massachusetts and in Arizona.

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• New therapies challenge CPAP, but providers aren’t shifting yet.