Steven Ronsick, M.D., and Brandi Gruber are used to hearing positive feedback from their patients. And now they have heard even more good news – this time from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).
Dr. Steven Ronsick and Brandi Gruber analyze patient data at the Sleep/Wake Disorders Center at Central Kansas Medical Center. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recently accredited the sleep center.
Dr. Ronsick, medical director of the Sleep/Wake Disorders Center at Central Kansas Medical Center, and Gruber, director of the hospital’s cardio-pulmonary services, collaborate on caring for patients with sleep problems. Gruber is also a certified respiratory therapist.
CKMC’s sleep center recently was accredited by the AASM, after a board certified physician visited the third-floor facility.
“They considered 58 items in determining accreditation,” Gruber said. “For example, they reviewed every policy and procedure, and made sure that our two sleep rooms are the appropriate size, are handicapped accessible and that we have a professional, credentialed staff.
“The AASM is the gold standard to ensure the highest quality of medical care,” Gruber added. “It works closely with Medicare and private health insurance, and many providers now cover sleep services only if the center is accredited.”
Gruber noted that it is always good to hear from patients who answer a sleep-center survey following treatment. Examples of their comments include “all my questions were answered and they made me feel very relaxed,” “the staff is great, very friendly,” and “everyone was exceptional.”
“And now the icing on the cake is AASM accreditation,” Gruber commented. “We hope those in the community with sleep problems will seek relief at our center.”
Dr. Ronsick, who is based at Hutchinson Clinic, has been traveling to Great Bend for three years. He sees patients twice a month at his office, 1309 Polk, but sleep studies are conducted at CKMC.
“Proper sleep is extremely important for a good quality of life,” Dr. Ronsick said. “It is important for everything we do. Oftentimes, sleep issues are related to medical problems such as fatigue, high blood pressure or obesity.
“If you have sleep apnea that is undiagnosed and therefore untreated, it increases the risks of heart attacks, strokes and accidents caused by sleepiness,” Dr. Ronsick added.
Sleep apnea, which causes breathing to stop during sleep, is one of the more common reasons patients seek help at the center. Others are sleep disturbance related to night-shift work and restless leg syndrome.
Sometimes medications are prescribed and sometimes using a nighttime CPAP device is the answer. The acronym stands for continuous positive airway pressure.
One of the rare problems is narcolepsy, which causes a person to fall asleep at inappropriate times. This disorder causes a host of problems that could include falling asleep at the wheel while driving.
Sleep-disorder signs include tossing and turning, loud snoring, falling asleep during the day, constant fatigue and depression.
“We want people to know they don’t have to live with these problems and neither do their spouses,” Dr. Ronsick said. “Our facility has the latest equipment and a professional, compassionate staff.
“It is also right here in a great central location,” Dr. Ronsick added. “They don’t have to drive to Hutchinson, Wichita or Hays for a sleep study. When people are sleepy, traveling isn’t good.”
Dr. Ronsick is from Uniontown, Ks., and gradated from Pittsburg State University and the University of Kansas School of Medicine; his residency was in internal medicine. He is the only area physician who is board certified in sleep medicine.
In addition, Dr. Ronsick is a Fellow in pulmonary and critical care, a Diplomat of the American Board of Medical Specialties and a Fellow in the American College of Chest Physicians.
He sees about 60 sleep-disorder and pulmonary patients a month in Great Bend. |
