(Joplin, MO) – Dr. Kent McIntire, Freeman Health System ENT-otolaryngologist, has been recognized with an Inspire® Provider of Excellence award for helping Joplin area men and women sleep soundly at night.
Inspire, an FDA-approved treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), is a highly successful alternative to those who cannot use Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy machines.
“I’m proud of our team,” Dr. McIntire said, calling the Inspire technology an industry gamechanger. “This recognition means we are doing a great job with patient selection, surgery, and post-operative sleep care management.”
As an Inspire provider of excellence, he continued, “we are dedicated to providing best-in-class patient experiences, focusing on positive clinical outcomes and patient-centered care. This includes reduced appointment wait times, comprehensive patient education, and improved compliance and symptom management, ultimately reducing the disease burden.”
To date, Dr. McIntire has treated 171 patients with Inspire Therapy. He’s the only ENT physician providing this service in the Joplin metro area. The achievement, he said, should entice those suffering from sleep apnea to seek immediate treatment.
“Patients will find us to be a preferred provider over other programs without this achievement,” Dr. McIntire said, who performed his first Inspire procedure in August 2022.
The Freeman Inspire team includes—Dr. Kent McIntire and staff, Dr. Jason Maxfield and staff, and Dr. Grant Pierson and staff.
While CPAP remains the leading treatment for OSA, some patients cannot tolerate the machine’s hoses, face masks, and air blasts through the nose and mouth. As an alternative, Inspire seamlessly integrates with a patient’s natural breathing to treat sleep apnea. It uses mild stimulation to open the airway during sleep, allowing oxygen to flow naturally. Patients control the device with a small remote, turning it on before sleep and off upon waking. The Inspire system is implanted during a brief outpatient procedure, with two small incisions made in the neck and chest. Most patients go home the same day and manage pain with over-the- counter medication.
Dr. McIntire is the 10th ENT provider of excellence named from the state of Missouri by Inspire and the only one from the Joplin metro area.
“We are thrilled to be recognized for our success with Inspire therapy,” the doctor shared. “This innovation marks a significant advancement in OSA treatment, clinically proven to reduce sleep apnea events, and it has a high level of patient satisfaction and a strong adherence to therapy.
OSA affects 22 million Americans, leading to significant health and safety risks, including vehicle and workplace accidents, mood and memory issues, and series conditions like stroke and heart attack.
“The Inspire program takes a lot of work and coordination between clinic, the OR, and Sleep Medicine,” Dr. McIntire continued, “but helping patients with their quality of life has been a very rewarding outcome for our team.”
About Freeman Health System
Locally owned and nationally recognized, Freeman Health System is a not-for-profit health system serving communities across Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas through a network of hospitals, physician clinics, outpatient locations, and specialty services. The system includes Freeman Hospital West, Freeman Hospital East, Freeman Neosho Hospital, and the Freeman Health System facilities in Bentonville, Springdale, Willow Creek, and Siloam Springs. Freeman Health System also operates Ozark Center—the region’s largest provider of behavioral health services, and offers comprehensive cancer, cardiology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, and women’s and children’s services. The system is supported by more than 7,000 employees and is the only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in a 70-mile radius. For more information, visit freemanhealth.com.
Reference:
Kevin McClintock, Media Relations Coordinator
Freeman Health System
417.434.3458
KSMcclintock@freemanhealth.com
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