Save the date! AASM Winter Course to include health reform and OCST
Take part in industry-leading discussions while learning critical updates from the nation’s foremost faculty at the AASM Winter Course: Emerging Clinical and Business Trends in Sleep Medicine. During this two-and-a-half day course, a comprehensive review of methods will be presented to help navigate the ever changing environment of Health Care Reform and Out of Center Sleep Testing.
Applications now accepted for 2013 Mini-Fellowship for International Scholars
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine is accepting applications for the 2013 Mini-Fellowship Program for International Scholars. This four-week program provides practical training in clinical sleep medicine to international physicians from lower-income countries so they may develop or improve sleep health care in their home countries.
Hypnogram: Changes for 2013
Four months into my tenure as President of the AASM, I am continually encouraged by the support shown by my 9,500 colleagues who are members of the Academy. Our Academy’s strength is derived from all of you who volunteer on committees, task forces and other initiatives to advance our mission; utilize programs and services to foster your professional growth; and invest in the ASMF and PAC to promote issues critical to our field. I appreciate your continued support and thank you for being a member of the AASM. As we enter renewal season, I’d like to make you aware of a few changes designed for our members’ benefit.
New pediatric polysomnography codes published in 2013 CPT Codebook
This month, the American Medical Association (AMA) published the 2013 edition of the CPT codebook. The AASM is excited to announce that CPT 2013 includes two new codes for pediatric polysomnography.
National Institute of Health accepting application for alcohol abuse, sleep disorders and circadian rhythms
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), invites R21 and R01 applications to conduct studies on the functional relationships between alcohol abuse, circadian rhythms and sleep disorders.
Poll reveals mixed feelings on health reform
Although there is a high level of approval for nearly all the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, a majority of U.S. residents oppose the overall law, 55% to 45%, according to a new Reuters poll.
State governors miss exchange deadline
At least two dozen states missed Health and Human Services (HHS) October 1 soft deadline to submit their essential health benefit benchmark plans. Under the Affordable Care Act, health plans in the exchanges must provide coverage for 10 broad categories of benefits, such as ambulatory patient services, emergency services and pediatric services.
OIG publishes 2013 Work Plan
On Tuesday, Oct. 2, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) published their Work Plan for 2013. The OIG Work Plan describes activities the OIG will initiate or continue throughout the year. Through its activities, the OIG seeks to fight waste, fraud and abuse in the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) programs such as Medicare.
Access updated scoring rules today in the new AASM Scoring Manual
The AASM Manual for the Scoring of Sleep and Associated Events: Rules, Terminology and Technical Specifications Version 2.0 is now an exclusively digital publication.
Upcoming workshop: Diagnosing Sleep Disorders in Pediatric Patients
During this two-day workshop, expert faculty will review what physicians need to know in order to diagnose and treat sleep disorders in the pediatric population.
Take note! Abstract and session proposals for SLEEP 2013 begin October 26
Submit a scientific abstract or session proposal today for the 27th Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC (APSS), held on June 1–5, 2013, in Baltimore, Maryland.
Vacancy Announcement: National Center on Sleep Disorders Research
The NHLBI has announced an opening for a program director to join the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR) focusing on sleep disorders medicine and the development of a portfolio in sleep research training. This is a full time position with a duty station at the NIH, in Bethesda, MD. NCSDR is located in the NHLBI Division of Lung Diseases, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD.
Employer-sponsored coverage continues to decline
The rate of workers with employer-sponsored health insurance plans continues to decline, while the percentage of individuals with public health insurance coverage is increasing, according to a new report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute.
Health and Human Services (HHS) awards state exchange grants to five states, District of Columbia
Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the distribution of an additional $224 million in establishment grants to five states and the District of Columbia to create health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act.
CMS implements programs targeting hospital readmissions and quality of care
On Oct. 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented two new programs under the Affordable Care Act. The Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program emphasizes quality of care in the hospital setting by shifting toward a pay-for-performance model. Under the new program, Medicare will withhold 1 percent of reimbursements to acute-care hospitals and redistribute these funds to hospitals that meet high performance standards.
Congratulations new Fellow member of the AASM
Fellow status in the AASM is a unique honor which recognizes special competency in sleep medicine and significant contributions to the field. We are pleased to welcome the following new Fellow Member.
The AASM announces its fifth year offering the Young Investigator Research Forum
The 2013 AASM Young Investigator Research Forum provides researchers beginning their careers with the opportunity for collegial interaction with successful senior faculty members across a broad spectrum of clinical sleep research. Recent projections show an upcoming shortage of clinical sleep researchers, and in the current climate, research funding is difficult to obtain.
AASM course to focus on sleep disorders for pediatric patients
During this two-day workshop, expert faculty will review what physicians need to know in order to diagnose and treat sleep disorders in the pediatric population. Sessions will focus on clinical signs, indications for testing, interpretation of tests and development of treatment plans for pediatric patients. Several lectures will focus on the scoring of sleep stages and events with extensive use of record samples. When pertinent, lectures will include information on business considerations that sleep centers must account for when seeing pediatric patients.
Get the AASM Scoring Manual Version 2.0 when you renew your membership
The AASM Manual for the Scoring of Sleep and Associated Events: Rules, Terminology and Technical Specifications Version 2.0, is now available as an exclusive digital publication. What does this mean for you? You get an ever-evolving document customized for your smartphone, tablet and computer. The easy-to-access digital format allows scorers to quickly search for and bookmark any sleep scoring topic as well as read up on related information using hyperlinks embedded in every section.
SLEEP 2013 abstract and session proposals submission coming soon
Guidelines for abstracts and proposals submissions are now available in the SLEEP 2013 Call for Abstracts and Session Proposals. Session proposals will be accepted from Friday, Oct. 26 through Monday, Dec. 3. Abstract submissions for oral presentations and poster presentations will be accepted from Friday, Oct. 26 through Monday, Dec. 17.
Lack of sleep leads to insulin resistance in teens
A new study suggests that increasing the amount of sleep that teenagers get could improve their insulin resistance and prevent the future onset of diabetes.
Medical advocacy groups warn lawmakers against automatic cuts
Several Health lobbying groups are warning lawmakers about the negative consequences to the health care industry if the $1.2 trillion in spending cuts scheduled under the sequester take effect in 2013. A White House report found that about $11 billion in total spending would be cut from Medicare, while NIH would lose $2.5 billion.
Six million U.S. residents predicted to face ACA tax penalty in 2016
In 2016, nearly six million U.S. residents are expected to pay a tax penalty under the Affordable Care Act for not purchasing health insurance, two million more individuals than estimated in April 2010, according to a report released by the Congressional Budget Office.
Health care reform overview: Long-term care
Over the last several weeks, the AASM has provided a synopsis of certain provisions in the bill. This last synopsis will focus on long-term care. This includes the CLASS Act, Medicaid and requirements under Medicare and nursing facilities under Medicaid.
Bipartisan bill introduced to replace Medicare competitive bidding process
On Sept. 21 a bill was introduced in the House of Representatives that would replace the Medicare DMEPOS competitive bidding program with market pricing.