Like all meta-analyses, this work relies on the quality of existing data – we focused on areas where the link between the disease and the costs incurred are the strongest. This includes:

– Moderate – severe OSA and OSAS (AHI ≥ 15 or OSA Syndrome)

– Does not include mild OSA and costs that are difficult to size (e.g., presenteeism, impact on family life, marriage, etc and other societal costs)

▪ We estimate the annual economic cost of moderate – severe OSA in the United States to be $65 -$165B, which are greater than asthma, heart failure, stroke and hypertensive disease ($20B to $80B)

▪ Yet, OSA attracts limited public attention (e.g., OSA related traffic accidents cost ~$35B versus wellknown public safety threats such as drunk driving ($60B) and not wearing seatbelts ($150B))

▪ Awareness, diagnosis, and treatment of OSA are limited by the economics and nature of the condition

– OSA costs are highly fragmented and touch many disconnected stakeholders

– Current technology, while effective at treating the disease, is cumbersome and uncomfortable for
many

– Low patient compliance limits the cost effectiveness of treatment for payors

▪ Opportunities to reduce the costs of sleep apnea include:

– More holistic research to understand the current and projected costs of the disease (e.g., prevalence, co-morbidities)

– Building a cohesive community of stakeholders (e.g., physicians, patients, employers, public safety officials, etc) to drive awareness

– Improving the patient experience and comfort in treatment to drive adoption

– Convincing payors and employers of the long-term economic benefits of screening and treatment

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McKinsey & Company

This article originally appeared in Harvard Medical School Division of Sleep Medicine