Medicare has issued new rules for sleep centers in California, Nevada and Hawaii requiring accreditation by a national accrediting body effective June 5, 2017. The new rules, announced only last month, dramatically change the landscape for sleep centers. Many sleep centers are not accredited or may not meet the accreditation standards, and for new applicants the accreditation … Read More »
Did you know that if you don’t use all of your health insurance benefits this year, you lose them forever? You may have met your deductible for 2016 already. If so, you can take advantage of lower (or no) out-of-pocket expenses for medical services such as sleep studies, PAP or supplies (learn about insurance coverage for … Read More »
If you recently had or ordered a sleep study to test for sleep apnea, the question foremost in your mind is probably what your results have to say about your sleep health or the health of your patient. However, unless you know what to look for, your sleep study report may seem more perplexing than informational. Here … Read More »
The patient clearly has sleep apnea, but it’s not severe enough for the insurance company to cover therapy. Why? Unfortunately, there are varying opinions about how sleep apnea is diagnosed and when CPAP is the appropriate therapy. Primarily, the difference is between how Medicare (CMS) and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) define a diagnosis … Read More »
Picture the typical person with sleep apnea. Odds are, you just thought of a man. But studies show that almost one in two sleep apnea patients is a woman. How likely are women to have this disorder…and how often are they treated?
What are the different types of sleep centers that offer diagnostic testing for sleep disorders and what are the benefits of each?
Sleep apnea affects more than 20 million Americans, yet most are undiagnosed and untreated. A sleep study, whether performed at-home or in a sleep center, is the most effective way to diagnose many sleep disorders, like sleep apnea. Learn about the typical requirements for ordering sleep studies. Talk to your doctor about your sleep issues … Read More »
Telemedicine was a hot topic at this year’s Sleep conference, a joint meeting of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society, in Denver, Colorado. Telemedicine has been embraced by primary care physicians in rural areas who struggle to arrange for specialist consultations for their patients who have limited access due to the cost … Read More »
Many people suffering with sleep disorders are wary of sleep testing because of the inconvenience (discomfort) of spending the night in a sleep center. In-center testing can also be cost prohibitive, especially with the rise in insurance plan co-pays and high deductibles. Fortunately, HST—home sleep apnea testing—is providing an increasingly convenient and comfortable alternative … Read More »
Like iPhones, CPAP machines have changed a lot over the past few years. The latest models are even starting to look like Apple devices. These changes in the form and function of CPAPs serve very important purposes. (1) If a CPAP machine is more attractive and user-friendly, someone diagnosed with sleep apnea is more likely … Read More »
