Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the basic idea behind Sleep Doc LA?
To provide an alternative to how Sleep Medicine is managed by most healthcare providers. Sleep Doc LA performs comprehensive investigations into the nature of sleep problems, including diverse medical contributors as well as psychosocial influences using a Gold Standard approach to diagnosis and treatment. We spend significant time and follow-up and finally we do it in the patient’s home or meeting place to lower the barriers for you or your loved one to consider getting overdue and much needed care.
How is Sleep Doc LA able to accomplish this?
Most health insurances provide very little compensation to medical providers managing Sleep Medicine and significant time consuming hassle. Sleep Doctors commonly only have 15 to 20 minutes to devote to each patient session and it’s nearly impossible to get years of complex sleep issues solved in that time. Sleep Doc LA does not use medical insurance and instead utilizes the classic business-customer model that has led to quality of care for paying customers in most other industries.
Who is your typical customer?
There is a diverse array of potential patients for our unique service. Some of them include:
1) Many wives who have noted their husbands’ severe nighttime breathing problems and now have a way of bringing the Sleep Doctor to them, who will not only be able to diagnose potentially severe sleep apnea, but will have the time to dedicate to persuading long resisting sufferers to the benefits of therapy and will find the most comfortable, hassle-free way of managing them.
2) There are many elderly people with complex sleep problems and limited mobility or access to go see a Sleep physician and desperately require careful follow-up.
3) Young, active professionals who have disturbed sleep and are savvy enough to have tried apps and sleep tracking devices without resolution of their issues. They are well educated, but require an experienced guide to objectively diagnose, assess and manage them through the full scope of problems. These are people who prefer the ease of online scheduling and hate long waits at busy physician offices.
4) Victims of the Mental Health Pandemic who have nowhere else to turn to for assistance. Such people require special care and considerable time to truly uncover the nature of their issues. These are people who are tired of virtual visits and impersonal care and who feel that they are not being heard by their doctors.
5) People who are dependent on substances and unhealthy routines to help them sleep or get through the day. These are people looking for meaningful solutions to their underlying sleep problems rather than an ever increasing reliance on chemicals with side-effects that are no longer tolerable. Many such people are “gifted” visits from our team by concerned loved ones.
Will I be able to use medical insurance if I need a CPAP machine or sleep related prescriptions?
We will provide you with a device prescription and medical device suppliers can utilize your insurance to provide discounts on devices, masks and other equipment. A problem that frequently occurs however, is that medical device suppliers will provide patients with generic masks and machines that we believe drastically reduce the chances for success with such devices. That is why we have partnered with suppliers to provide discounted devices and masks to our members of major brands, but outside the use of health insurance. That being said, we hand deliver and train you personally on how to get the most benefit from the device. Pharmacies can run any of our prescriptions with your health insurance and our team is happy to provide them with any medical records they may request to help address any concerns.
What is the process like if I’m diagnosed with sleep apnea?
Due to our close relationship with medical suppliers, typically a respiratory therapist will come to you for mask fitting and device recommendations based on the prescription we give you. Your medical insurance will be used, if desired, to get the best rates on equipment. Sleep Doc LA will mail you a data card for your device and after a prescribed time, we will request that you mail us back the card for analysis. We will reach out to you to schedule your follow-up visit, where the doctor will carefully review the data with you and make any adjustments as necessary. An appropriate long-term physician follow-up schedule and device maintenance and replacement schedule will be recommended to you and we will help you to carry it out.
What do I get with the initial consultation from Sleep Doc LA?
After the initial visit at your site of choice within the available areas around Los Angeles, special testing or follow-ups may be recommended by the physician and you will be given access to schedule them online, on a private page or over the phone. Orders may be placed to obtain blood testing. Follow-up visits are less expensive and there will be video conferencing options for simple follow-ups as well. If a specialist in another medical field is recommended, our team will help facilitate any referrals to our network of quality providers. Most of our sleep testing can be performed in the comfort of your home and will be mailed to you for convenience with our easy to access support. The physician’s email will be made available to allow for simple questions to be answered in a timely fashion.
How do you safeguard a patient’s privacy?
Sleep Doc LA is a medical practice that follows all the required rules for protecting personal medical information as dictated by HIPAA and the HITECH act. Maintaining your privacy is important to us and our full privacy statement can be read here.
Is Dr. Alex Hakim a fully licensed physician in his location of practice and does he have board certifications by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) in his relevant field and associated training through the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM)?
Dr. Hakim is fully certified and licensed through the ABIM and the State of California. He has been trained in the United States at top tiered institutions such as the University of Southern California (USC), University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA) and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and has completed training courses hosted by the AASM. He is one of the few quadruple board certified physicians in the country. Click here for more information about him.