AASM had made a proposal for what they characterize as a new and innovative model of patient care.  Just glanced at it and haven't had chance to digest yet.  Looks as if one thing's for sure and it's that the medical equipment supplier/DME is getting the shaft.  Need to review closely to know whether this moves the needle forward for patient care at all, or whether its just a gift to the AASM's constituents: sleep labs and sleep physicians.  full proposal attached as pdf here.  AASM overview below.  screen shot from a pertinent section on how this changes things also below:

American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Last Spring, the AASM introduced the Proposal for an Integrated Sleep Management Delivery Model that was presented to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as a comprehensive model for sleep center accreditation. After the proposal was developed, the CMS Center for Innovation announced its Healthcare Innovation Challenge, which provides grants for original programs that test new care delivery and payment models while demonstrating reduced costs and improved health outcomes. 

Recognizing the value of participating in the Healthcare Innovation Challenge, the AASM’s Board of Directors devised a new, forward-thinking paradigm for clinical care of patients with OSA: the Innovation Care Delivery and Management Program for Patients with OSA (ICDMPPO). The ICDMPPO proposal was submitted in late January, and CMS will announce recipients of the Healthcare Innovation Challenge grants in late March. 

The ICDMPPO serves as the foundation for the future of clinical care as it represents a significant change in the testing algorithm for OSA as well as care delivery and management for patients with OSA. Under this new model, the board-certified sleep physician and the accredited sleep center serve as anchor points for the patient while maintaining communication with the primary care physician. The sleep medicine physician is responsible for managing the continuum of the patient’s sleep-related care, from the initial visit to the diagnostic test to equipment titration and long-term follow-up. 

Please read the proposal to learn more about the design of the ICDMPPO, the benefits for the sleep medicine field and patients, and how the program will be implemented if accepted by the CMS Center for Innovation. The AASM is also sharing this proposal with allied sleep organizations, members of Congress, and other organizations and companies with an interest in sleep, to educate these parties on the future direction of sleep medicine. 

More information about the ICDMPPO will be communicated to members in the coming weeks, including information on how to register as a participant site in the program. Questions and comments about the program are welcome and can be directed to innovationprogram@aasmnet.org.