Include the AASM Accreditation Reference Manual in your Center’s development today! This manual is intended for utilization by centers and laboratories as a guide to assist in the development of a Policies and Procedures Manual. Included is an Explanation of the Accreditation Standards with guidance to developing the policy for each standard which also details materials needed to meet the policy.

A study of women with advanced breast cancer shows that higher sleep efficiency was significantly associated with lower mortality over the ensuing six years. 

This is the AASM PAC’s first giveaway and all pens will include a certificate of authenticity.

The AASM public relations toolkit includes materials that will guide you through the process of promoting your sleep medicine practice to local print and broadcast media. 

Visit the AASM online store to learn more about the new online learning module bundle: Managing the Complex Patient with Co-morbid Conditions Series of 10. 

Sleep Center Managers have the chance to keep center staff up-to-date with the most current Technologist product offerings from the AASM. 

SLEEP 2014 will be here in under a month, and what better way to experience this year’s annual meeting than by attending one of the many sessions led by invited lecturers starting on Monday, June 2. 

An editorial in the May issue of SLEEP describes the extensive contributions of Professor Thomas Roth to the establishment of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the development of the Sleep Research Society, and the progression of the sleep field. Roth, who recently retired from the full-time faculty at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, was the second president of the AASM and is the only two-time president of the SRS.

Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. announced May 1 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Inspire Upper Airway Stimulation (UAS) therapy for use in a subset of patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who are unable to use continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. Inspire therapy is a fully implanted neurostimulation device that senses breathing patterns and delivers mild stimulation to key airway muscles, which keeps the airway open during sleep. 

American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) President M. Safwan Badr, MD, was recently quoted in a Huffington Post article sharing recommendations on various snoring remedies. While Dr. Badr was happy to contribute, he was disappointed to see that the statements included in the article did not accurately reflect his opinion of or recommendations for oral appliance therapy.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced two funding opportunities addressing Healthy Habits: Timing for Developing Sustainable Healthy Behaviors in Children and Adolescents.

A study in the April issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine reports that the addition of a chin strap may improve positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy adherence and reduce mask leak among patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). According to the authors, physicians should consider recommending a chin strap to patients whose PAP use is suboptimal.

 I See the Animals Sleeping: A Bedtime Story and The Animals Sleep: A Bedtime Book of Biomes emphasize the importance of sleep for both animals and children using simple rhyming text and vibrant illustrations.

The AASM’s Accredited Sleep Technologist Education Program (A-STEP) program now features updated modules with content based on scoring rules in the AASM Scoring Manual v2.

Minneapolis is more than just the city hosting SLEEP 2014, it’s a destination. Voted 4th in best U.S. cities for affordable getaways by Travel + Leisure Magazine, Minneapolis boasts a great variety of activities such as outdoor window shopping at the downtown Nicollet Mall, dining at unique, artisanal restaurants and exploring the top ranked park system in the country. 

CNN’s The Human Factor aired a feature on Aaron Taylor, a former NFL player who is working with the AASM to educate the public about sleep apnea. Since his retirement from pro football, Taylor has worked in the media as a college football analyst for CBS Sports. Taylor has been using his role in college sports to advocate, in partnership with the AASM, for parents, coaches and school administrators to recognize the dangers of sleep apnea.

A study in the April 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine reports that obstructive sleep apnea patients with uncontrolled hypertension are likely to experience the largest reduction in blood pressure with positive airway pressure therapy, after controlling for disease severity and daytime sleepiness. According to the authors, the results suggest that even patients with mild or moderate OSA are likely to benefit from PAP treatment.