INC has ranked SleepQuest, Redwood City, CA, on its first ever 5000 list of fastest growing private American companies between 2003 to 2006. This new ranking is an extension of INC's annual 500 list of companies of all sizes expanded to include a host of small firms that represent the backbone of the US economy.
Home Testing for Sleep Apnea
Founded in 1994 to fill a need for in-home diagnostic testing and treatment of sufferers of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), the firm has tripled in size and services. President Robert B. Koenigsberg is recognized for his entrepreneurial leadership in building a business dedicated to helping people sleep better and reducing patient's sleep apnea risk to high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and drowsy driving accidents related to obsessive daytime sleepiness.
"INC's recognition of our firm's progress reflects the dedication of our talented professional staff, our unique continuum of sleep disease management and the confidence of our expanding support network of physicians, insurance companies and equipment manufacturers who use our unattended in-home sleep monitoring services to help patients sleep well and live healthier lives," commented Robert B. Koenigsberg.
The 2007 INC 5000 list measures revenue growth from 2003 through 2006. To qualify, companies had to be U.S.-based and privately held, independent - not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies - as of December 31, 2006, and have had at least $200,000 in revenue in 2003, and $2 million in 2006.
Sleep Apnea Treatment
Sleep medicine is one of the fastest growing segments of the medical industry. And SleepQuest is dedicated to supporting family physicians that annually screen patients about their sleep health. The firm diagnoses and treats sleep apnea disease to decrease patient risk of hypertension and accidents related to obsessive daytime sleepiness. As Dr. Neil Kline of the American Sleep Association states, "Sleep Apnea is associated with increased risk of motor vehicle accidents as well as the increased risk of heart attacks, stroke and deadly heart rhythms. Yet it is easily treated once it is diagnosed."
The cost of cardiovascular disease, for example, is in the range of $500 billion per year. Sleep apnea alone may account for 25% or more of these costs, according to Koenigsberg and SleepQuest's Chief Scientific Advisor, William C. Dement, MD, who is recognized worldwide as the father of modern sleep medicine. It's estimated over 30 million people suffer from sleep apnea, yet only 10% are aware of the dangers of the disease.
