Medicare approves OSA home sleep test

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in the United

States have given approval for new sleep test to diagnose obstructive

sleep apnea (OSA).

http://www.news-medical.net/?id=36356

The approval means Medicare beneficiaries will be able to undergo

diagnosis for OSA using a sleep test at home.

The new policy is a significant departure from current Medicare

coverage as it expands continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)

therapy for Medicare patients.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a condition in which periods of

temporary suspension in breathing (apnea) occur during sleep and it

is usually diagnosed by counting the number of sleep disturbances

that occur during a specific time interval.

As many as four million Medicare beneficiaries are thought to suffer

from some form of OSA.

The CPAP devices provide air pressure through a face mask to help

keep breathing passages open during sleep and under current Medicare

policy only covers those who have been diagnosed using a specific

type of sleep test called polysomnography in a clinical sleep

laboratory setting.

The new policy will add coverage for CPAP following a positive at-

home sleep test.

In the home tests, the patient wears a device during sleep that

collects and records data about airflow and other measurements.

The device is then taken to a doctor who uses the data to determine

whether the patient has obstructive sleep apnea or needs further

sleep studies or assessment.

As some patients with OSA do not continue with CPAP treatment or do

not improve on treatment, the initial coverage is limited to twelve

weeks in order to determine whether the CPAP treatment is beneficial.

For those who continue and respond to treatment, long term CPAP is

covered.

Experts at the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) which

promotes excellence in sleep medicine health care, education and

research, are available to provide official comment on the new CMS

policy and its implications for patient care and the sleep medicine

field.