GREELEY, Colo. (Jan. 6, 2025) – Banner Health is expanding access to sleep health services in Northern Colorado with the arrival of Ivy M. Andersen, MD, a board-certified sleep medicine physician. Dr. Andersen brings experience evaluating and managing Inspire® therapy, the FDA-approved sleep apnea treatment that uses a small, implanted device to help keep the airway open during sleep.
Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder, where breathing repeatedly stops and restarts throughout the night, often because the tongue relaxes to the extent that it is blocking the airway. This deprives the body of oxygen and disrupts sleep. Inspire therapy is a surgical treatment performed by surgeons in which a small battery is placed under the skin of the chest, with a thin wire that wraps around the nerve that controls the tongue. When the patient breathes in during sleep, the device delivers a gentle pulse that moves the tongue forward to help keep the airway open. Patients turn the device on at night using a handheld remote held over the chest, allowing time to fall asleep before stimulation begins. Dr. Andersen’s role is to evaluate candidates, prepare them for the procedure and manage the device once activated.
Dr. Andersen is currently seeing patients across Banner clinics in Fort Collins, Loveland and Greeley, specializing in working with individuals who have struggled with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines, which is the standard treatment for sleep apnea.
“CPAP is still the gold standard of care,” Dr. Andersen said. “It is the most reliable way to treat sleep apnea when a patient can tolerate it. In many cases, when patients struggle with a CPAP, the issue is not the device itself. It may be untreated insomnia, sleep anxiety, sensory issues or something else we can address.”
Dr. Andersen works closely with patients to remove these challenges, if possible, and explore non-surgical solutions before considering Inspire therapy. However, when Inspire therapy is the best option, Dr. Andersen has been at the forefront since before the device’s recent popularity. She began prescribing Inspire therapy in 2018 when it was still an emerging technology and is now bringing her expertise to Northern Colorado.
“Sleep is not optional. Every species needs sleep for a reason,” Dr. Andersen said. “When sleep is disrupted, it affects everything from memory and brain function to the immune system and mental health. My goal is to help people protect their long-term health by treating sleep apnea effectively and safely.”
Common symptoms of sleep apnea include loud snoring, frequent awakenings, morning headaches, daytime fatigue and difficulty feeling rested.
Aside from feeling tired during the day, people with untreated sleep apnea are twice as likely to have a heart attack. Additionally, sleep apnea can aggravate neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s Disease, multiple sclerosis and stroke. Dr. Andersen, who began her medical career in neurology with both a residency and a fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, saw firsthand how patients with neurological disease experienced improved quality of life when their sleep apnea was addressed. It was this correlation that motivated her to specialize in sleep medicine.
For more information about sleep medicine services at Banner or to learn more about treatment options for sleep apnea, visit bannerhealth.com/services/sleep-medicine.
About Banner Health
Banner Health is one of the largest, secular nonprofit health care systems in the country. In addition to 33 hospitals, Banner also operates an academic medicine division, Banner – University Medicine, and Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, a partnership with one of the world’s leading cancer programs, MD Anderson Cancer Center. Banner’s array of services includes a health insurance division, employed physician groups, outpatient surgery centers, urgent care locations, home care and hospice services, retail pharmacies, stand-alone imaging centers, physical therapy and rehabilitation, behavioral health services, a research division and a nursing registry. To make health care easier, 100% of Banner-employed doctors are available for virtual visits and patients may also reserve spots at Banner Urgent Care locations and can book appointments online with many Banner-employed doctors. Headquartered in Arizona, Banner Health also has locations in California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming. For more information, visit bannerhealth.com.