December Decision Could Mean Great Expansion For Fisher & Paykel Healthcare

Come mid-December and CMS or the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will decide whether OSA or obstructive sleep apnea that is treated at home can be covered. This will mean a huge step forward for F & P Healthcare with its headquarters in New Zealand.

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare are among the leaders in treating OSA and they manufacture heated humidification devices which are used in respiratory care and portable monitoring machines. Under the Medicare conditions currently prevalent, anyone with this condition has to go to a registered laboratory to get it diagnosed and treated.

At present, F & P export to over 100 countries all over the world and they treat OSA with a comprehensive array of equipment and technologies. They are all aimed at people sleeping better so they are able to live better. They also have a range of equipment that covers neonatal care. Their equipment means that you don’t have to go and spend a couple of days in a laboratory to get diagnosed as having the condition, as people covered under Medicare have to do now.

So many people all over the world suffer from obstructive sleep apnea and it is known to be a precedent for strokes or other cardiovascular complications, as well as diabetes and high blood pressure. It also means that people who suffer from this are usually not at their best during the day and suffer from fatigue simple because their sleep isn’t what it should be. To have the home treatment covered by Medicare should be a welcome relief.

For F & P, the U.S market makes up 70% of its global sales so if the decision is positive, it will be great news for the company.