On Thursday, October 27, the Oklahoma State Legislature’s Public Health Committee will hold a hearing, during which it will discuss a study proposal addressing the cost of sleep studies and their impact on state health care expenditures.
The hearing, which is open to the public, will be held in the state capitol in Oklahoma City in room 206 from 9 a.m. to Noon. Since this is not an official committee meeting, an agenda will not be distributed and the session will not be streamed online. However, individuals are welcome to attend in person.
Sponsored by Representative Lewis Moore (R-Arcadia), this request for interim study proposal (#16-016) indicates that the scope of potential discussion will be, “Innovations in sleep studies that can save the state millions of dollars.” According to the Edmond Sun, Rep. Moore would like lawmakers to determine whether doctors charge too much for sleep studies. In the Sun article, he claimed that in-lab sleep studies can cost from $3,000 to $8,000 per night.
The AASM will contact Rep. Moore’s office after the hearing to inquire about the status of the study proposal. AASM will communicate any and all developments to our members in Oklahoma.
If you are able to attend the Oct. 27 meeting, please contact Ted Thurn, AASM Senior Health Policy and Government Affairs Analyst, at tthurn@aasm.org or (630) 737-9700.
