Patient accessibility and utilization of behavioral sleep medicine referrals in an academic center

Behavioral sleep medicine (BSM) is a subspecialty that combines behavioral psychology and sleep medicine specialties. The objective of this study was to analyze referral patterns to a BSM clinic. The 3 specific aims were: (1) describe factors that predict referral acceptance, (2) identify barriers to attending initial appointment, and (3) describe variables associated with the number of visits attended.

Retrospective chart reviews were conducted as part of a quality improvement project by this study team’s clinical setting. Adults over 21 years of age who were referred to a BSM clinic in an urban Midwestern academic health care system between 2014 and 2019 were included in this study.

Sleep medicine was the main referral source for patients with BSM (74.2%), followed by internal medicine (9.3%) and neurology/psychiatry (7.3%). Thirty-eight percent of patients did not schedule an appointment after a referral for BSM was initiated. Younger age, longer distance from clinic, commercial insurance, and out-of-network insurance were all significantly greater for nonschedulers. Eighty-three percent of patients did attend the initial intake session with BSM providers. Older age was associated with lower likelihood of not attending scheduled BSM appointments.

Patient characteristics of older age, closer distance from clinic, and in-network insurance coverage were found to significantly increase the likelihood of BSM scheduling, while younger age, Black race and not getting a primary sleep disorder diagnosis (vs a diagnosis of insomnia disorder) and shorter days from referral to appointment were associated with an increased likelihood of not attending the scheduled BSM treatment engagement.

Chernyak Y, Ofner S, Williams MK, Bolarinwa C, Manchanda S, Otte JL. Patient accessibility and utilization of behavioral sleep medicine referrals in an academic center. J Clin Sleep Med. 2024;20(11):1793–1806.