Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is one of the major health care problems of our time and still goes undiagnosed and unrecognized. According to the National Institutes of Health, over 20 million people have OSA and it is associated with cardiovascular conditions such as hypertension, heart disease and stroke. Yet the current network of sleep specialists can only care for 10% of the affected population. A recent editorial in Chest called for apnea screening on every patient with hypertension. The field is changing rapidly in all respects including diagnosis, treatment and screening technology. The primary care physician must become knowledgeable of all aspects of this disease. This symposium is designed for the primary care physician who wishes to expand the practice to incorporate the evaluation, diagnosis and management of obstructive sleep apnea. It will review the advantages of ambulatory diagnostic technologies as they relate to the differential diagnosis of sleep disorders in general and sleep apnea specifically, the treatment options for management of sleep apnea, and protocols for referral to sleep specialists when appropriate. The CME medical conference will combine expert lectures, oral presentations, and hands-on demonstrations to provide familiarity with FDA approved technologies for ambulatory sleep diagnosis, as well as billing and reimbursement issues in the primary care practice. The CME medical conference is designed for the primary care physicians who want to offer their patients options after the overnight in-lab sleep studies. This CME medical conference presents the essentials that the physician requires to begin a sleep apnea practice safely and successfully. www.npinstitute.com or 800-462-2492