Brant County sleep lab has license suspended by Ministry of Health

A sleep lab in Brant County, accused by patients of withholding their results, has had its license suspended by the Ministry of Health.

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On Thursday, the ministry confirmed Paris Sleep Lab’s license was suspended due to “concerns regarding noncompliance and the delivery of timely patient care.”

The emailed statement did not specify what led to the suspension.

Over the last couple of months, The Spectator spoke with several locals who said they went to the Paris clinic for their sleep study, but couldn’t get a follow-up appointment after, despite multiple attempts over a period of months.

After an overnight stay in April, Melinda Lubbers said her family doctor received a report from the sleep clinic saying “you have apnea, you have an obstruction, and they’re suggesting a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure machine).”

But despite calling and emailing, Lubbers told The Spectator in August she wasn’t able to reach anyone at the clinic to book a follow-up appointment with the clinic’s physician for next steps.

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Desperate for sleep, she called “a bunch of the sleep supply companies” to see if she could buy a CPAP machine based on the report, but was told she needed a prescription specifying the amount of air she needed through the night, and a mask specially fitted to her face.

To complicated matters, her family doctor couldn’t just write her the prescription — she was told it had to be the physician who oversaw the sleep study.

Getting a study done at a new clinic wasn’t a quick solution either.

Only one diagnostic study within a 12- to 24-month period — depending on the referral reason — is covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP), unless prior ministry approval has been given, according to the ministry’s schedule of benefits document.

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When Lubbers finally connected with the sleep lab in July, she said a staff member told her their physician had retired, and they were waiting for a replacement. She said they told her she should hear back from them by mid-August.

She’s still waiting.

And she’s not the only one. On a local Facebook group, others posted about frustrating delays, with some people going years without getting their study results from the Paris Sleep Lab.

“We’re all going to specialist doctors, because something is wrong with us, and this place is holding one of the key treatments we need hostage,” Lubbers said.

And the delays could pose consequences for patients beyond their health.

The report Lubbers’ family doctor received said she could forward it to the Ministry of Transportation if she thought Lubbers’ symptoms impeded her ability to drive.

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“I would lose my license, and I wouldn’t get it back until the treatment has relieved my symptoms, but I can’t get the treatment because they won’t get me in for an appointment,” Lubbers said.

The Paris Sleep Lab is part of the AccqSleepLabs group, which also operates a sleep clinic in Owen Sound, and previously had ties to a Waterloo sleep clinic.

When reached by email Friday, Nick Tadross, the CEO of AccqSleepLabs, said the clinic has been in operation for 30 years, and made the “difficult decision” to “voluntarily suspend operations” due to “a geographic shortage of specialist physicians in the community .”

“We are excited to share that the clinic is currently pending government approval to transition ownership to a new physician-led team” of “leading sleep medicine specialists dedicated to providing the high-quality care our patients expect,” his statement continued.

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“We encourage everyone to stay tuned for more exciting updates as this transition progresses. This experienced new ownership group is dedicated to ensuring optimal sleep health in our community and looks forward to serving patients soon,” Tadross said.

When Paris Sleep Lab takes the “remedial action” to “address the issues outlined in the suspension,” the director of Integrated Community Health Services Centers will consider lifting the suspension, the ministry’s statement says.

In the meantime, the ministry says it has given patients like Lubbers “a pathway to obtain a second pre-approved OHIP-insured sleep study at a new center.

The ministry did not specify if these were only patients who have contacted them, or all patients who have received a study at the Paris Sleep Lab.

Getting the care she needs “has not been an easy process” for Lubbers.

While she is grateful action has been taken, she hopes the ministry notifies “all the patients of (the lab) that are now left in limbo. Someone needs to inform patients of this closure and what options we have,” she told The Spectator on Thursday.

Celeste Percy-Beauregard is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter based at the Hamilton Spectator. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

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