In a clinical workshop taking place this morning at SLEEP 2008, leaders of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine are providing a detailed analysis of home sleep testing for the detection of obstructive sleep apnea.
The workshop will compare AASM guidelines with a recent decision from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and will discuss the impact that the CMS decision will have on sleep-medicine providers. There also will be a discussion of current local coverage determination (LCD) policies.
In the December 15, 2007, issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, the AASM published “Clinical Guidelines for the Use of Unattended Portable Monitors in the Diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adult Patients.”
The guidelines recommend unattended portable monitoring (PM) as a valid option for detecting OSA in adults who have a high pretest probability of moderate to severe OSA, and who have no comorbid medical conditions or sleep disorders that may degrade the accuracy of PM.
The guidelines also recommend that PM testing be administered by AASM-accredited sleep centers and labs and reviewed by a board-certified sleep specialist.
In March 2008 CMS released its “Decision Memo for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Therapy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) (CAG-00093R2).” The decision allows coverage of home sleep testing for the detection of OSA in Medicare beneficiaries.
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CMS has decided that the AASM is no longer relevant. Home sleep testing works, it will be reimbursed. Sorry guys the free ride for sleep docs may be over.
ReplyDeleteGreat effort, many people suffers form this condition, for years there has been studies but with no real solutions to the problem.
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ReplyDeleteHome sleep test are used to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
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