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Insurance companies will soon require all sleep labs to be accredited by the AASM for compensation.
If the above tests are performed in a freestanding facility (includes sleep clinics that are a part of a physician’s office, Independent Diagnostic Testing Facilities (IDTFs) and all other non-hospital-based facilities where sleep studies are performed), the facility must have on file, through TrailBlazer’s Provider Enrollment department, evidence that:
They are fully or provisionally certified by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) as a sleep disorders center or as a laboratory for sleep-related breathing disorders. AASM facility certification requirements can be obtained at http://www.aasmnet.org/SleepCentersLabs.aspx or by writing to:
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
One Westbrook Corporate Center, Suite 920
Westchester, IL 60154
A facility certification is required when the global, professional or technical components are billed by a physician’s office, an IDTF and all other non-hospital-based facilities.
Effective date of this requirement: January 1, 2010.
This goes for freestanding and hospital based labs.
They are fully or provisionally certified by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) as a sleep disorders center or as a laboratory for sleep-related breathing disorders. AASM facility certification requirements can be obtained at http://www.aasmnet.org/SleepCentersLabs.aspx or by writing to:
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
One Westbrook Corporate Center, Suite 920
Westchester, IL 60154
A facility certification is required when the global, professional or technical components are billed by a physician’s office, an IDTF and all other non-hospital-based facilities.
Effective date of this requirement: January 1, 2010.
This goes for freestanding and hospital based labs.
Views: 297
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Duane McDade on
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We been AASM accredited for a long time. It's better to have standards and guidelines. Sleep Apnea is a serious Problem. You can't have just anyone with an Finger/ox and computer doing these things.
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Permalink Reply by Judy on
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I have to confess to having read the regulations for sleep lab accreditation at one point and not being at all impressed w/those requirements. I would hope that the requirements have been improved since then.
Duane and Rock, perhaps you can explain to me why it wouldn't be not just possible but more efficient to schedule a sleep evaluation PSG, a sleep doctor consult for results and a titration PSG and a sleep doctor consult for results at the time of the first consult w/the sleep doctor if it is determend a PSG is in order for that patient. The titration and third consult could be cancelled after the evaluation PSG if the patient didn't qualify and easily filled if we are to believe the need for more sleep labs. Or at least a consult w/a knowledgeable and sleep trainedNP, PA or even RRT after the PSGs. Personally, I never cared for or utilized a sleep lab that didn't provide a face to face consult w/a sleep doctor and have had no use for sleep labs where the sleep doctor never consulted w/the patient and just provided his interpetation/dictation of the PSG results to the referring doctor. Given a recent experience w/one sleep doctor I revised my opinion to find a consult w/ a sleep trained, knowledgeable NP, PA or RRT might in some case be preferred. I understand why, at this point, a consult w/an RPSGT isn't acceptable to the medical profession ... but .... I can't help wonder at times about the reasoning being because so many or most RPSGTs don't have a medical background. I can think of several RPSGTs who could have done a better consult than that one sleep doctor I encountered.
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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on
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Judy I can not explain this. I believe that the AASM requires a consult before and after the study. I think that everyone is assuming that PCPs know more about sleep than what everyone is letting on. I believe the knowledge to be limited to cardio, pulmonary, neurology, and ENTs. From what I have been told Sleep is just not very well covered in medical school. I could be wrong though. I think that as the industry evolves and sleep builds a better backbone through better education we will see RPSGTs getting more involved. The AASM is already taking a better stand on Education. It is just going to take a minute to implement. I believe the best thing patients can do is demand that sleep labs follow the AASM guidelines. knowing the rules helps. Report the lab to the AASM if they don't follow the rules.
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Permalink Reply by Daniel on
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I am very pleased about the new requirement. I have dealt with some sleep labs that are not AASM accredited and have found that they take some short cuts that can be questionable.
Daniel
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One of our local hospitals' sleep lab has recently been all renovated and are now accredited. BUT in so doing they've taken a step backward as far as I'm concerned. Prior to the renovation and accreditation one had a consult w/one of their three rotating sleep pulmos or one sleep neuro, then the evaluation PSG, then a consult w/one of the sleep doctors and a titration PSG if warranted, then a consult w/one of the sleep doctors and the ordering of their equipment. Since the renovation and accrediation they have ONE sleep pulmo who dictates the results of the PSG and send his dictation and recommendations to the referring doctor who he is available to for consultation BUT NEVER consults directly w/the patient. THAT is WHY I snort at the accredidation requirements - unless they have again changed their modus operandi w/in the last year, or maybe two years maximum.
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Permalink Reply by Mike on
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wondering whether the accreditation requirement is related to the 2009 OIG audit of sleep
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I heard some amazing things like.....I went tp a Doctor, I wore this thing on my Finger, I got a phone call, I came back to my Doctors Office "you Have sleep Apnea" He gave me an Auto CPAP and this mask. Thats it. If there is no standard sometimes this is what you get. This is happening alot.
Judy said:I have to confess to having read the regulations for sleep lab accreditation at one point and not being at all impressed w/those requirements. I would hope that the requirements have been improved since then.
Duane and Rock, perhaps you can explain to me why it wouldn't be not just possible but more efficient to schedule a sleep evaluation PSG, a sleep doctor consult for results and a titration PSG and a sleep doctor consult for results at the time of the first consult w/the sleep doctor if it is determend a PSG is in order for that patient. The titration and third consult could be cancelled after the evaluation PSG if the patient didn't qualify and easily filled if we are to believe the need for more sleep labs. Or at least a consult w/a knowledgeable and sleep trainedNP, PA or even RRT after the PSGs. Personally, I never cared for or utilized a sleep lab that didn't provide a face to face consult w/a sleep doctor and have had no use for sleep labs where the sleep doctor never consulted w/the patient and just provided his interpetation/dictation of the PSG results to the referring doctor. Given a recent experience w/one sleep doctor I revised my opinion to find a consult w/ a sleep trained, knowledgeable NP, PA or RRT might in some case be preferred. I understand why, at this point, a consult w/an RPSGT isn't acceptable to the medical profession ... but .... I can't help wonder at times about the reasoning being because so many or most RPSGTs don't have a medical background. I can think of several RPSGTs who could have done a better consult than that one sleep doctor I encountered.
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There is already a crimp on home sleep studies. They are not reliable as of yet.
Mike said:won't this put a crimp on the style of home sleep test providers?
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Judy I agree with you to a point. At what point do we start making our pcps responsible for knowing about sleep. I mean it is not like sleep is not a common thing. More people sleep than get the flu, or break an arm. I could understand if only a small % of the population had it. You are never gonna here " bad sleep not in my neighborhood!" or "I once new a guy". Everyone sleeps. The idea of a sleep doc not being a pcp is kind of backwards is it not.
Judy said:One of our local hospitals' sleep lab has recently been all renovated and are now accredited. BUT in so doing they've taken a step backward as far as I'm concerned. Prior to the renovation and accreditation one had a consult w/one of their three rotating sleep pulmos or one sleep neuro, then the evaluation PSG, then a consult w/one of the sleep doctors and a titration PSG if warranted, then a consult w/one of the sleep doctors and the ordering of their equipment. Since the renovation and accrediation they have ONE sleep pulmo who dictates the results of the PSG and send his dictation and recommendations to the referring doctor who he is available to for consultation BUT NEVER consults directly w/the patient. THAT is WHY I snort at the accredidation requirements - unless they have again changed their modus operandi w/in the last year, or maybe two years maximum.
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