Welltrinsic and BeHealth Solutions partner to bring SHUTi to millions with insomnia
New partnership will improve patient access to effective therapy for insomnia
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN – June 4, 2014 - Today the Welltrinsic Sleep Network and BeHealth Solutions announced an agreement making SHUTi the network’s exclusive platform for online cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). The partnership was announced at SLEEP 2014, the 28th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC (APSS) in Minneapolis.
SHUTi, short for Sleep Healthy Using the Internet, is an innovative six-week program for adults with insomnia that can be completed entirely online from the privacy and comfort of home. Users typically spend about one hour per week in the interactive program to complete all six modules. SHUTi combines cognitive behavioral therapy strategies with personalized sleep recommendations keyed to each user’s individual sleep patterns.
“This partnership will increase patient access to high quality, integrated sleep care for the millions of people in the U.S. who suffer from chronic insomnia,” said Welltrinsic Sleep Network President and CEO Dr. Lawrence Epstein. “CBT-I is an essential element of a comprehensive sleep medicine practice, and SHUTi eliminates potential barriers to care by enabling sleep specialists to connect patients with an effective therapy that can be completed conveniently at home.”
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) reports that about 10 percent of adults have a chronic insomnia disorder. A safe and effective treatment that produces long-term results, CBT-I is recommended by the AASM for chronic insomnia. However, patient access to CBT-I has been restricted by the limited supply of trained providers. Currently there are only about 200 behavioral sleep medicine specialists who are certified by the American Board of Sleep Medicine.
“SHUTi has been scientifically validated in clinical research trials funded by the National Institutes of Health and conducted at the University of Virginia,” said BeHealth Solutions CEO Joe Jennings. “This research shows that SHUTi can achieve sleep improvements comparable to those seen in face-to-face CBT-I. SHUTi users get better and stay better.”
Currently the Welltrinsic Sleep Network is offering free membership enrollment to board certified sleep medicine physicians. Network members will receive the best pricing available for SHUTi, which eventually will feature data integration with Somnoware, the exclusive data management platform for the Welltrinsic Sleep Network. SHUTi also features the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), giving sleep medicine physicians a streamlined method of screening patients for insomnia.
Learn more about the Welltrinsic Sleep Network and SHUTi at www.welltrinsic.com and www.shuti.me.
###
Contact: Thomas Heffron, (252) 558-7308, press@welltrinsic.com
About Welltrinsic Sleep Network
Welltrinsic is a national network connecting sleep physicians and accredited centers to deliver high-quality, integrated care for people with a sleep-wake disorder. We are a single solution linking clinical expertise, practice development, patient management, data collection and outcome reporting, and insurance contracting. Welltrinsic offers a full range of services for sleep physicians, sleep centers and managed care organizations.
About BeHealth Solutions
BeHealth Solutions LLC provides software solutions and services that improve the scientific research process and increase the availability of effective and affordable interventions for a variety of behavioral and mental health issues. Our engaging and interactive self-help programs incorporate effective cognitive behavioral strategies that are generally only available through face-to-face visits with specially trained clinicians. By delivering these programs online, these techniques become available to millions of people who would otherwise have no access to them.