Monmouth Medical Center Sleep Disorders Center Earns Prestigious National Accreditation

MMC Chair of Surgery Dr. Dmitry Oleynikov holds the American College of Surgeons Surgical Quality Partner award. He gathers in the Perioperative Services Department with, from left, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ken Granet, President and CEO Eric Carney, Surgical Clinical Reviewer, NSQIP-Professional Staff-Surgery David Vance, and Vice President, Quality Resources Services Kirsten Windos.

Long Branch, NJ, February 7, 2025 - Monmouth Medical Center's Comprehensive Sleep Medicine Center - the first facility in Monmouth County to earn accreditation from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) - has recently been awarded renewal of this prestigious designation.

The five-year accreditation designates a commitment to the advancement of sleep medicine, according to the AASM. The academy is committed to ensuring that those in the field of sleep medicine provide excellent health care and enhance the awareness of sleep as an important element for health, public safety and quality of life. It is the fifth consecutive accreditation for Monmouth Medical Center's Sleep Medicine Center.

"An accredited sleep disorders program is a valuable resource for the community, providing evaluation, diagnosis and management of sleep-related disorders in both adults and children," says pulmonologist Douglas Livornese, M.D., Medical Director of Monmouth Medical Center's Sleep Medicine Center, where more than 700 people each year are treated for such common sleep disorders as insomnia, disruptive snoring, obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy and movement disorders in sleep. Sleep disorders affect all age groups and can cause excessive daytime sleepiness and difficulties in falling asleep and staying asleep.

Responding to the increasingly critical nature of sleep disorders, Monmouth Medical Center's Sleep Medicine Center houses the latest in computerized monitoring equipment and is staffed by fully trained technicians and respiratory therapists.

Sleep-related breathing disorders, particularly obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, are relatively common, according to Dr. Livornese, who specializes in evaluating and treating sleep disorders. "Sleep disorders can have a great impact on daytime functioning, and they may lead to daytime sleepiness and impairment of cognitive function - the thinking and reasoning process."

Dr. Livornese explains that the diagnostic evaluation of sleep disorders often requires overnight examination of the sleeping patient by means of polysomnography to assess severity, effect on sleep architecture and continuity, and the effects on gas exchange, cardiac function, etc.

"Polysomnography is used in conjunction with the patient's history, other laboratory tests and observations, and the physician's knowledge of sleep disorders to reach a diagnosis and recommend appropriate treatment," he says. Dr. Livornese notes that an interdisciplinary team approach to a patient's sleep disorder can be called for, explaining that a psychologist, neurologist and an otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat specialist) might coordinate their clinical efforts on a patient's behalf.

"Sleep disorders are not always readily apparent, So the multidisciplinary approach of a comprehensive center can help pinpoint a clear diagnosis," he adds. Patients must be referred to the center for either an inpatient or at-home sleep study. Referring physicians receive detailed reports on patient diagnoses and suggested follow-up treatment.

For more information on the Sleep Disorders Center at Monmouth Medical Center, call 732-923-7660.

About Monmouth Medical Center

Monmouth Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, along with The Unterberg Children's Hospital, is a regional teaching campus for Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. As the first hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties, Monmouth Medical Center offers the most experienced surgeons in robotics and other minimally invasive procedures as well as bariatric and joint and spine surgery. Delivering more babies annually than all other hospitals in Monmouth and Ocean counties combined, Monmouth Medical Center was recently one of nine New Jersey hospitals recognized by Newsweek magazine as a top maternity hospital. The hospital offers access to the region's top cardiologists and the award-winning, nationally recognized RWJBarnabas Health heart centers. It was the first hospital in New Jersey and the 11th in the country to earn Magnet Recognition with Distinction® from the American Nurses Credentialing as a reflection of its nursing professionalism, teamwork and superiority in patient care. It is the only hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties to consistently receive an "A" Hospital Safety Score by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit organization. RWJBarnabas Health and Monmouth Medical Center, in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute - the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center - brings a world class team of researchers and specialists to fight alongside patients, providing close-to-home access to the latest treatment and clinical trials.

CONTACT: Kathy Horan
(732) 546-6317
[email protected]