Conference committee discusses “doc fix”
The conference committee tasked with developing an extension of the payroll tax cut and delaying scheduled reimbursement cuts to Medicare physicians met for the fourth time to discuss potential offsets.
AASM provides comments at federal hearing on regulations for commercial drivers with sleep apnea
On Feb. 6, the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC) and Medical Review Board (MRB) conducted a hearing to address regulatory guidance for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) for motor carriers and commercial vehicle drivers.
Sleep Review cover story profiles Dr. Collop, AASM Innovation Proposal
The newest issue of Sleep Review profiles AASM President Dr. Nancy Collop, MD, as a forward-thinking leader who is proposing revolutionary changes to improve sleep medicine. The feature story comes as the AASM rolls out its Innovation Care Delivery and Management Program for Patients with OSA (ICDMPPO) proposal, a proposal that Dr. Collop had a central role in developing. The article depicts Dr. Collop as a leading physician, clinical researcher and President of the AASM, and summarizes how the ICDMPPO proposal would improve care for sleep disorders patients while reducing costs. Under the proposal, a board-certified sleep physician and accredited sleep center would serve as an anchor point for the patient while maintaining communication with the primary care physicians. The sleep medicine physician would be 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. Read the complete story online in the digital edition of Sleep Review.
AAST course: New Directions in Sleep Apnea Evaluation and Therapy
Sleep technologists who want to be at the forefront of their profession should make plans to attend Advances in Sleep Technology: New Directions in Sleep Apnea Evaluation and Therapy, a two-day course that will be held March 24-25, at the national office of the American Association of Sleep Technologists (AAST) in Darien, Ill. An expert faculty will discuss options for the evaluation and treatment of sleep related breathing disorders beyond polysomnography and CPAP. Lectures will focus on emerging technologies and how they can be used with various patient populations. Earn up to 14.00 CECs. Register by Feb. 24 to save!
SLEEP 2012 Preliminary Program available at Sleepmeeting.org
A complete Preliminary Program for SLEEP 2012, the 26th Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC (APSS), is now available at sleepmeeting.org. The program includes comprehensive information about scheduled sessions and courses, continuing education, registration, hotel and travel.
Congratulations new Fellow Members of the AASM – February 2012
Fellow status in the AASM is a unique honor that recognizes special competency in sleep medicine and significant contributions to the field. We are pleased to welcome the following new Fellow Members: Baba H. Limann, MD, FAASM, Aijaz A. Yazdani, MD, FAASM. If you are interested in becoming a Fellow member of the AASM, please review the requirements on the AASM website. All required documentation should be submitted to the AASM Membership Department.
Take advantage of hotel discounts when planning your travel for SLEEP 2012
Individuals are encouraged to register early to ensure that they are able to reserve space in the meeting’s most popular sessions and courses. And after registering for the meeting, take advantage of discounted hotel room rates by booking your hotel reservation through the SLEEP 2012 Housing Bureau. Room blocks have been reserved at a discounted rate at several conveniently located hotels, including the Sheraton Boston Hotel which will serve as the meeting’s headquarter hotel and is connected to the convention center.
Have your information printed on AASM’s new patient education brochures
As an exclusive benefit of membership, AASM individual and center members can have their contact information professionally printed on the back of any of the AASM’s 19 new patient education brochures which feature new designs and topics! The new brochures have been updated to cover topics essential to today’s sleep practice and will provide your patients with important take-away material prior to and following appointments.
Session at upcoming courses to review AASM’s application for CMS Healthcare Innovation Challenge
AASM President Nancy Collop, MD, will review the AASM’s Innovation Care Delivery and Management Program for Patients with OSA (ICDMPPO) proposal for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Healthcare Innovation Challenge during an evening session, followed by a reception, on Saturday, Feb. 25. Attendees of the Sleep Medicine Therapies and Business of Sleep Medicine for Physicians are invited to attend this session. Registration for these courses is available while space remains or until Tuesday, Feb. 21; on-site registration will not be accepted.
Questions raised regarding war funds for “doc fix”
A proposal to use savings from ending the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to fund a "doc fix" might not be an option, according to the chair of the conference committee tasked with extending the payroll tax cut and delaying scheduled cuts to Medicare physician reimbursement rates.
Reminder: RPSGTs must apply for RST equivalency by March 31
Nearly 3,000 Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (RPSGT) have applied for equivalency status to obtain Registered Sleep Technologist (RST) certification from the American Board of Sleep Medicine. All practicing sleep technologists who have passed the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT) examination prior to Dec. 31, 2011, and are RPSGTs in good standing, are eligible to apply to the ABSM for RST equivalency status. This process gives RPSGTs an opportunity to obtain the new RST certificate without taking the ABSM Sleep Technologist Registry Examination. The deadline for RPSGTs to submit an equivalency application to the ABSM is March 31, and the application fee is $25.
AASM submits proposal to CMS for Innovative Care Delivery and Management Program for Patients with OSA
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).
Two funding opportunities aim to increase collaboration with health care providers
The National Institute of Health Common Fund recently issued a pair of Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) intended to strengthen the national capacity to implement cost-effective large-scale research that engages health care providers as research partners.
HypnoGram: 10,000 Members
The AASM now has 10,000 members – one member for every lake in Minnesota or as many people as in the city of Aliquippa. This is an incredible milestone for all of us. I am told the first member was recruited in 1974 – and now we have our 10,000th member. The AASM is the largest membership society dedicated to sleep medicine and is still growing! We are all acutely aware of the challenges ahead of us, but with 10,000 members and an influx of newly ABMS-certified sleep specialists, we are poised to continue to move the specialty of sleep medicine ahead.
AASM Nominating Committee call for nominations
CMS releases guidance on appeals process for ‘meaningful use’ program
CMS has released guidance about the appeals process for health care providers who have failed to receive meaningful use incentive payments or are seeking to challenge their payout amount. Under the 2009 economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health record systems can qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments.
Conference committee meets to address ‘doc fix’
Last week, a bicameral, bipartisan conference committee met to discuss extending a payroll tax cut and delaying the scheduled cuts to Medicare physician reimbursement rates. Lawmakers are discussing a yearlong extension of the initiatives, which must be passed before the short-term agreement expires at the end of February. Committee members from both parties were optimistic that they could reach an agreement, but Democrats and Republicans still disagree on how to offset the $160 billion cost of extending the tax cut and doc fix. Democrats want to increase taxes for high-income U.S. residents, while some House Republicans argue for a two-year delay of the cuts, which would be paid for in part with billions of reductions in federal health reform law spending.
Basics Management course – Early registration deadline approaching
Registration is open for the Basics of Sleep Center Management course, which will be held on Mar 3, 2012 at the AASM national office in Darien, IL. Chaired by Dr. Amy Aronsky, the basics course is targeted to new sleep center managers or to staff looking to take on a management role. Network with other managers and learn tricks of the trade with sessions addressing accreditation, reimbursement, staffing, finances and marketing. Register today to take advantage of the discounted early registration fee by the Feb 3 deadline!
Deadline for AASM training course for new sleep technicians
On March 5–16, 2012, the AASM will hold a two-week An Introduction to Sleep Technology: An A-STEP Course at the AASM national office in Darien, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago). Attendees of this training program will receive more than $1,100.00 worth of course material included with their registration fees, in addition to more than 30 hours of interactive, hands-on training from expert faculty.Centers interested in sending their new technicians to this course have the option to take advantage of a new financing option where you pay just $500 at the time of registration (the balance of the registration fee due 4 week prior to the course). The deadline to participate in this financing option is Monday, February 6, 2012.
Support the continuation of AASM resources by renewing your membership
The AASM works to provide members with timely updates and new resources. When issues affecting sleep medicine and sleep research professionals arise, AASM members are the first to know. The development of these resources is possible through the support of our members. Please renew your membership by February 29, 2012 to help the AASM advance the fields of sleep medicine and sleep research.
Intermediate Sleep Center Management Series to feature two full-day courses
Sleep center staff seeking information about current issues affecting the management of a sleep center can now register for the new AASM Intermediate Sleep Center Management Series to be held April 21–22, 2012 at the AASM national office (a suburb of Chicago). The weekend series will be divided into two full-day courses. Members of the AASM and the American Association of Sleep Technologists (AAST) can now register for these courses at a discounted rate.
SLEEP 2012 to feature several new educational opportunites for clinicians
Featuring both the latest research and clinical developments in sleep medicine, SLEEP serves as an ideal opportunity for researchers and clinicians alike to learn about the latest advances in the multi-disciplinary field of sleep medicine. This year, in addition to many of the most popular educational sessions from previous meetings, the APSS has announced several new opportunities developed specifically for attendees in clinical practice. Visit www.sleepmeeting.org for the latest meeting information and to register before space fills up in our most popular ticketed sessions!
Statement in response to Jan. 16 NPR/Kaiser Health report
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine, which represents more than 10,000 sleep medicine physicians and professionals, would like to clarify some erroneous statements reported by Kaiser and NPR in its story
Sleep pioneer William C. Dement’s cameo role in new movie
William C. Dement, MD, PhD, makes his big-screen debut the new comedy Sleepwalk with Me, which made its premiere at the Sundance Festival this week in Park City, Utah. The film stars stand-up comedian Mike Birbiglia, whose REM sleep behavior disorder has been the subject of a book and one-man show. Sleepwalk with Me is being presented in association with WBEZ Public Radio's This American Life. Host Ira Glass is a producer for the movie.
Dr. Dement, sometimes referred to as The Father of Sleep Medicine, has a voice cameo in Sleepwalk with Me narrating an audiotape of his own book as Birbiglia’s character begins falling asleep while driving. In 1975, Dr. Dement launched the American Sleep Disorders Association, now known as the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and served as president for the first 12 years. No word if Sleepwalk with Me has found a national distributor.
Compliance program training podcasts now available
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has developed a series of 11 podcasts addressing compliance training topics. The videos posted last week and this week address the development and implementation of a compliance program. In “Compliance Program Basics,” OIG staff highlights their Compliance Program Guidance (CPGs) resources. Tips for Implementing an Effective Compliance Program” builds on the concepts learned in the Basics podcast. The OIG training podcasts are available in audio only and video format on the OIG website. A transcript of each podcast is also available.