Seema Khosla, medical director of the North Dakota Center for Sleep, discusses the importance of telemedicine for sleep disorders in Fierce Healthcare.

Too many patients in rural communities are without access to sleep medicine.

Untreated sleep disorders are associated with heightened risks for many medical complications such as hypertension, heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and depression. Effectively treating a sleep disorder is essential to reduce daytime sleepiness and mend impaired cognitive functioning, both of which can lead to workplace accidents and drowsy driving.