Potsdam, February 24, 2026 – Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a widespread, chronic condition that often goes undetected for a long time and can cause serious comorbidities such as high blood pressure or diabetes. Sleep apnea is characterized by pauses in breathing of up to one minute, during which the body receives less oxygen. These pauses occur up to several hundred times per night and can have significant health consequences. The risk of stroke is doubled, and the risk of heart attack is quadrupled. This can lead to serious health consequences and substantial costs for the healthcare system. According to studies, more than 20% of the adult population in Germany suffers from sleep apnea requiring treatment.1
New health economic data now show that systematic, widely accessible screening can not only significantly improve the quality of life and medical prognosis of patients, but also sustainably relieve the burden on the healthcare system. For example, unnecessary diagnostic procedures can be reduced, patients requiring treatment can be identified early, and costly secondary illnesses can be prevented.
The results come from a recent study presented at the European Congress of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) and subsequently published in the journal Value in Health2 Researchers from the University of Duisburg-Essen and the Technical University of Munich analyzed the impact of early OSA screening from the perspective of statutory health insurance in Germany using a health economics Markov model based on data from large, peer-reviewed clinical trials and health databases.
The study, based on clinical data from Germany, shows that structured screening using a smartphone app approved as a medical device is significant from a health economics perspective: Over a ten-year period, direct healthcare costs per patient can be reduced by up to 18 percent, while simultaneously increasing health-related quality of life (QALYs) by up to 20 percent. Clinically relevant events such as heart attacks, strokes, and traffic accidents can also be significantly reduced through early OSA screening.
The ISPOR study demonstrates that structured, digital screening for obstructive sleep apnea offers significant medical and health economic advantages. Using a medical device-approved app available on common smartphones, it is possible to specifically identify individuals with a clinically relevant suspicion of sleep apnea. These individuals can then undergo further specialist evaluation. Given long waiting times at sleep labs, a growing shortage of specialists, and the increasing prevalence of the condition, digital screening makes a crucial contribution to the more efficient management of diagnostic resources and the optimization of patient care within the healthcare system.
“The positive effects of screening occur on several levels,” explains lead author Dr. Marcel Braun, a health economist at the Chair of Sleep and Telemedicine at the University of Duisburg-Essen. “In the long term, costly chronic secondary diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes can be reduced. At the same time, the healthcare system can be relieved in the short term because scarce diagnostic resources can be used more effectively and patients receive a definitive diagnosis earlier.”
A key prerequisite for widespread screening is easy access. Digital, smartphone-based solutions offer crucial advantages here, as they require no additional hardware and can be easily integrated into everyday life.
“Acceptance is particularly high when screening is performed without body-worn sensors and is easy to use,” says Dr. Christoph Janott, co-author of the study and head of research on acoustic biosignal processing at the Potsdam-based digital health company Diametos.
The Snorefox app is available as a certified medical device, and its effectiveness has been proven in clinical studies. Several statutory health insurance companies already cover the costs of its use.
The study results demonstrate that digital sleep apnea screening can be beneficial from both a medical and a health economics perspective. Particularly given limited diagnostic resources and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, early screening opens up new possibilities for making care more efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective.
Diametos is a German-based digital health company that develops medical software solutions for analyzing the causes of snoring and assessing the risk of obstructive sleep apnea. The company's goal is to make the care of sleep-related breathing disorders more efficient and cost-effective through evidence-based, digital approaches.
The company's flagship product, the Snorefox Appis the only digital solution on the market certified as a medical device, whose performance has been proven in clinical studies.
Dr. Christoph Janott, CEO
Diametos GmbH
Opolestr. 2 14469
Potsdam
T: +49 (0) 331 2318907030
akampion
Ines-Regina Buth
Managing Partner
info@akampion.com
Tel. +49 30 23 63 27 68
1 Fietze I, Laharnar N, Obst A, et al. Prevalence and association analysis of obstructive sleep apnea with gender and age differences – Results of SHIP‐. Trend. J Sleep Res. 2018;e12770. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12770
2 Braun M et al., Cost-effectiveness of smartphone-based screening for obstructive sleep apnea: A Markov model analysis from the German statutory health insurance perspective. Value in Health. 2025;28(12):S156–S157.
Potsdam, February 24, 2026 – Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a widespread, chronic condition that often goes undetected for a long time and can cause serious comorbidities such as high blood pressure or diabetes. Sleep apnea is characterized by pauses in breathing of up to one minute, during which the body receives less oxygen. These pauses occur up to several hundred times per night and can have significant health consequences. The risk of stroke is doubled, and the risk of heart attack is quadrupled. This can lead to serious health consequences and substantial costs for the healthcare system. According to studies, more than 20% of the adult population in Germany suffers from sleep apnea requiring treatment.1
New health economic data now show that systematic, widely accessible screening can not only significantly improve the quality of life and medical prognosis of patients, but also sustainably relieve the burden on the healthcare system. For example, unnecessary diagnostic procedures can be reduced, patients requiring treatment can be identified early, and costly secondary illnesses can be prevented.
The results come from a recent study presented at the European Congress of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) and subsequently published in the journal Value in Health2 Researchers from the University of Duisburg-Essen and the Technical University of Munich analyzed the impact of early OSA screening from the perspective of statutory health insurance in Germany using a health economics Markov model based on data from large, peer-reviewed clinical trials and health databases.
The study, based on clinical data from Germany, shows that structured screening using a smartphone app approved as a medical device is significant from a health economics perspective: Over a ten-year period, direct healthcare costs per patient can be reduced by up to 18 percent, while simultaneously increasing health-related quality of life (QALYs) by up to 20 percent. Clinically relevant events such as heart attacks, strokes, and traffic accidents can also be significantly reduced through early OSA screening.
The ISPOR study demonstrates that structured, digital screening for obstructive sleep apnea offers significant medical and health economic advantages. Using a medical device-approved app available on common smartphones, it is possible to specifically identify individuals with a clinically relevant suspicion of sleep apnea. These individuals can then undergo further specialist evaluation. Given long waiting times at sleep labs, a growing shortage of specialists, and the increasing prevalence of the condition, digital screening makes a crucial contribution to the more efficient management of diagnostic resources and the optimization of patient care within the healthcare system.
“The positive effects of screening occur on several levels,” explains lead author Dr. Marcel Braun, a health economist at the Chair of Sleep and Telemedicine at the University of Duisburg-Essen. “In the long term, costly chronic secondary diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes can be reduced. At the same time, the healthcare system can be relieved in the short term because scarce diagnostic resources can be used more effectively and patients receive a definitive diagnosis earlier.”
A key prerequisite for widespread screening is easy access. Digital, smartphone-based solutions offer crucial advantages here, as they require no additional hardware and can be easily integrated into everyday life.
“Acceptance is particularly high when screening is performed without body-worn sensors and is easy to use,” says Dr. Christoph Janott, co-author of the study and head of research on acoustic biosignal processing at the Potsdam-based digital health company Diametos.
The Snorefox app is available as a certified medical device, and its effectiveness has been proven in clinical studies. Several statutory health insurance companies already cover the costs of its use.
The study results demonstrate that digital sleep apnea screening can be beneficial from both a medical and a health economics perspective. Particularly given limited diagnostic resources and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, early screening opens up new possibilities for making care more efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective.
Diametos is a German-based digital health company that develops medical software solutions for analyzing the causes of snoring and assessing the risk of obstructive sleep apnea. The company's goal is to make the care of sleep-related breathing disorders more efficient and cost-effective through evidence-based, digital approaches.
The company's flagship product, the Snorefox Appis the only digital solution on the market certified as a medical device, whose performance has been proven in clinical studies.
Dr. Christoph Janott, CEO
Diametos GmbH
Opolestr. 2 14469
Potsdam
T: +49 (0) 331 2318907030
akampion
Ines-Regina Buth
Managing Partner
info@akampion.com
Tel. +49 30 23 63 27 68
1 Fietze I, Laharnar N, Obst A, et al. Prevalence and association analysis of obstructive sleep apnea with gender and age differences – Results of SHIP‐. Trend. J Sleep Res. 2018;e12770. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12770
2 Braun M et al., Cost-effectiveness of smartphone-based screening for obstructive sleep apnea: A Markov model analysis from the German statutory health insurance perspective. Value in Health. 2025;28(12):S156–S157.
