Transition to Version 5010
The deadline for implementation of Version 5010 was Jan. 1 2012. However, as previously reported in the Dec 5 2011 Weekly Update, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have delayed enforcement of this requirement for 90 days. Therefore, enforcement actions will not begin until April 1, 2012. In a recent statement, CMS encouraged providers to continue internal and external testing of Version 5010. To assist providers with a smooth transition, CMS has developed a new fact sheet highlighting important steps for health care providers. CMS strongly encourages providers to communicate regularly with applicable vendors. Use of a clearinghouse is also recommended during the transition to ensure that claims are submitted in the proper format. Finally, CMS identifies a number of transition resources, which can be downloaded on the CMS ICD-10 website.
SLEEP 2012 to feature important information for sleep professionals
SLEEP 2012, the 26th Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC (APSS) will take place June 9–13, 2012 in Boston, Massachusetts. This year’s meeting will feature a record number of scientific abstracts as well as several sessions focusing on the most important issues for today’s sleep professional. The AASM has compiled a list of ticketed sessions that are expected to sell out quickly and sessions of note during the SLEEP 2012 general session on the AASM website. A complete Preliminary Program will be available in February. A listing of ticketed events and sessions including postgraduate courses, meet the professors, lunch debates and information about the Sunday evening networking reception are now available at www.sleepmeeting.org.
Registration deadline approaching for Introductory Center Management course
The advanced registration deadline for the AASM’s new Basics of Sleep Center Management course is next Friday, February 3, 2012. The course, which will be held on Saturday, March 3, 2012 at the AASM National Office in Darien, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago), will provide individuals new to or interested in becoming involved in the management of a sleep center with a broad overview of sleep center management topics. To learn more, or to register, visit the Sleep Education Series portion of the AASM website.
Fully redesigned patient education brochures released – free samples
The AASM is pleased to announce the release of a full new catalog of patient education brochures! The brochures—which feature new topics, content and design—have been updated to ensure that centers can provide their patients with important take-away material prior to and following appointments. The 19 new brochures cover definitions, symptoms, treatment options, tips and answers to frequently asked questions related to a variety of sleep medicine topics. In addition to revised content and designs, the new brochures have also been reduced in price by more than 30% for each pack of 50 brochures! And for a limited time, members interested in previewing the new brochures can receive a free sample of each brochure through the AASM Online Store. To take advantage of this offer, add a sample pack to any AASM Online Store order and click on the “Use a coupon/voucher” link in your shopping cart prior to entering your payment information. Enter the coupon code 12BROSP to get your free sample of each brochure (shipping and handling charge apply).
AASM reaches 10,000-member milestone
The AASM is celebrating a huge milestone-10,000 active members! Our 10,000th member—Alireza Maghsoudi, MD, joined yesterday from Manassas, VA, We are honored that, like you, Dr. Maghsoudi recognizes the value of AASM membership. To show our appreciation for your loyal support, we are designating this week as Member Appreciation Week. All AASM members can take 35% off AASM online store purchases until 11:59:00 pm Central Time on February 1, 2012. No coupon is necessary—all qualified product orders will be discounted at checkout. Thank you for your continued support!
Deadline approaching for ASMF High School Essay Contest entries
The American Sleep Medicine Foundation is accepting entry forms for the 2011-2012 High School Topical Review in Sleep Contest through Monday, Feb. 6. This contest is intended to encourage an interest in sleep medicine and sleep research at the high school level. The ASMF will recognize outstanding topical review papers related to sleep, wakefulness, public health and disorders of sleep and daytime alertness that demonstrate an understanding of scientific research. U.S. High school students in their junior or senior year are eligible to enter. The first-place winner will receive a 3-day/2-night trip to Boston, Massachusetts with one parent/guardian to attend SLEEP 2012, and will be recognized with a commemorative plaque during the AASM General Membership Meeting on Monday, June 11, 2012 along with a $1,000 savings bond.
Volunteer for one of the AASM’s six standing committees
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine is looking for volunteers to serve on a standing committee. Volunteer committee members provide an invaluable service to the AASM and membership by contributing to initiatives and projects that are critical to the continued development of the field. By volunteering, members will gain professional enrichment through the diverse activities of a committee. Members interested in serving must submit a two-page CV summary along with several forms available on the AASM website. All forms are due by February 20, 2012.
Medicare ‘doc fix’ debate delayed
Scheduling conflicts and policy disagreement are expected to delay the start of negotiations on a Medicare "doc fix." House aides predict that the bipartisan, bicameral conference committee charged with developing the fix will not convene until next week. The current plan that extends the payroll tax cut and delays scheduled reimbursement cuts to Medicare physicians expires at the end of February.
AASM meets with federal lawmakers and agencies
The AASM was in Washington, D.C. last week and met with several federal lawmakers and agencies to discuss the importance of sleep. AASM representatives met with legislative aides for Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC), Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Senator John Kerry (D-MA), Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Senator Patty Murray, (D-WA). Discussions focused on supporting the AASM’s proposal for an integrated care delivery model to the CMS Innovation Center, repealing the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR), funding for NIH and sleep research and the possible effects of Health Care Reform. The AASM also met with several Federal Agencies including the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to strengthen ties, communicate the importance of effective sleep and the role of the AASM as sleep experts.
AASM to host an updated A-STEP Introductory course; financing option available
Facilities can now register their new technicians for the AASM’s An Introduction to Sleep Technology: An A-STEP Course held March 5–16, 2012 and October 8–19, 2012, at the AASM national office in Darien, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago). During this two week course—accredited by the AASM as an Accredited Sleep Technologist Education Program (A-STEP) Introductory Course—up to 20 sleep technicians will have the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of sleep technology through a mixture of didactic lectures, online learning, practical exercises and observation at a sleep center. The program, which will provide participants with the knowledge needed to begin a successful career in the field of sleep technology, has been updated for 2012 to ensure that the core competencies required for a sleep technologist’s daily duties at today’s sleep center are fully presented. Additionally, course registration fees now include over $1,100.00 worth of course material and centers can opt for a new financing option where you pay just $500 at the time of registration.
Last days to save on course registration and warm weather weekend in Phoenix
The advanced registration deadline for the AASM’s new Sleep Medicine Therapies and the Business of Sleep Medicine for Physicians courses is next Friday, January 27, 2012. Register on or before this date to save more than 25% on registration fees when you register for both courses to be held at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, Arizona from February 24, 2012 through February 27, 2012. Plan on attending the Sleep Medicine Therapies course if you wish to review the state-of-the-art in patient care management and the Business course to hear presentations on several business-related topics impacting sleep centers throughout the country.
SLEEP 2012 meeting registration is open
Registration is now open for SLEEP 2012, the 26th Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC (APSS), a joint meeting of the AASM and the Sleep Research Society (SRS). Visit www.sleepmeeting.org for the latest meeting information and to register before space fills up in our most popular ticketed sessions!
NIH transfers all National Center of Research Resources activities to other institutes and centers
The National Institutes of Health recently issued announcement that details the agency's plan for programs formerly under the National Center of Research Resources (NCRR). On December 23rd, 2011 the NCRR was disbanded as part of the Fiscal Year 2012 Omnibus Appropriations bill. All NCRR programs, awards and applications will be transferred to other Institutes and Centers with the NIH. A list of affected programs and the new Institutes and Centers is available on the NIH website.
AASM visits Washington D.C. to promote public safety
Representatives for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine were recently in Washington to meet with federal agencies and lawmakers to forge relationships based on promoting the importance of sleep. AASM President Nancy Collop, MD, said the timing couldn’t be better. Late last month, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced new rules for the maximum hours of work per shift and mandatory rest periods for passenger airline pilots and truck drivers. Sleep researchers and sleep scientists have been instrumental in assisting with the new transportation rules.
AASM in D.C. this week to promote importance of sleep, public safety
Recent rule changes for pilot and trucker rest breaks seen as an encouraging step forward
ICD-10 transition podcast now available
In Nov 2011, CMS sponsored an extensive teleconference to prepare providers for the transition to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10). On Jan 4, 2012 CMS announced that it would provide the content of the Nov conference call in a podcast format. The podcast, as well as a number of other ICD-10 transition resources, are available on the CMS website.
HHS establishes HIPAA standards for Electronic Funds Transfers and Remittance Advice Transactions
The Department and of Health and Human Services (HHS) has published an interim final rule, effective Jan. 1, 2012, outlining standards under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for Health Care Electronic Funds Transfers (EFT) and Remittance Advice transactions (RA). By standardizing and streamlining electronic transactions, CMS projects that the new standards will reduce administrative costs by $4.5 billion for providers, hospitals, and private and government health plans over the next ten years. CMS anticipates that there will be little to no implementation costs for physician practices and hospitals complying with the new standards. HIPAA covered entities must be in compliance with the standards outlined in the rule by Jan 1, 2014.
The AASM recognizes its top member recruiters – January 2012
Congratulations to the AASM’s top Member-Get-A-Member Campaign recruiters for the month of December. These individuals are contributing to the growth of the organization by reaching out to their professional colleagues and encouraging them to join the AASM:
- Sonia Ancoli-Israel, PhD, FAASM and Girardin Jean-Louis, PhD – 4 New Members
- Michael A Grandner, PhD, and Laura A Linley, RPSGT, CRT – 2 New Members
- 21 Member Recruiters – 1 New Member
Free demo and video tutorial available for AASM’s new Inter-scorer Reliability Program
Earlier this month, the AASM announced a full program upgrade to the testing software for its online Inter-scorer Reliability (ISR) Testing Program. Current users of the program can now begin scoring using the new program, and individuals new to the program can preview its new features through a sample of 20 epochs and a 9-minute video tutorial. Highlights of this program upgrade include improved resolution, increased speed for one-pass or two-pass scoring, mouse and keyboard command options, improved ability to change epoch duration, increased visibility of scores, and more. To learn more about the program, or to sign up for a free 30-day trial, visit the ISR website.
ASMF grant deadlines are approaching
The application deadlines are approaching for several grant opportunities from the American Sleep Medicine Foundation (ASMF). Get complete details on the ASMF website at www.discoversleep.org about each of the 2012 grants.
Out of Center Sleep Testing Attestation period expires, full application now required
The deadline has passed for facilities currently accredited by the AASM to submit Out of Sleep Center Testing Accreditation Participation Attestation forms. Prior to December 31, AASM Accredited sleep disorders centers that completed the form were eligible to earn accreditation for OCST for Adults Patients. A full application for OCST accreditation must now be completed to earn accreditation. If you want to add accreditation for out of center sleep testing to your sleep center accreditation, contact the AASM Accreditation Department.
HypnoGram: Happy New Year
Wow, can you believe it is 2012?!! Now how long will it take you to date things correctly? I have already messed up three times! It promises to be a very exciting year – a national election, the Olympics, our biggest SLEEP annual meeting yet, the addition of the AASM’s 10,000th member, and who knows what else. One thing is for sure, it will be full of surprises.
OIG develops Stark Law compliance training video
On Jan 3 the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) posted a new compliance training video addressing the Physician Self-Referral Law, also known as the “Stark Law.” A transcript of the presentation is also available.
Poor sleep affects young diabetics
A study in the January issue of SLEEP suggests that young diabetics may be struggling to get a good night’s sleep, resulting in worse control of their blood sugar, poorer school performance and misbehavior. Researchers from the University of Arizona also found that nearly one-third of the diabetic youths in their study had sleep apnea, regardless of weight.
Register Now: Sleep Medicine Therapies and Business Courses in Phoenix this February
On February 24-27, 2012, the AASM will host two courses at the Arizona Biltmore resort in Phoenix Arizona for physicians interested in the latest updates in sleep medicine. On Friday and Saturday, the new Sleep Medicine Therapies course will cover case-based discussions, pro/con debates and panel discussions to review over 15 controversial areas that sleep specialists encounter on a daily basis in clinical practice. And on Sunday and Monday, the Business of Sleep Medicine for Physicians course will focus on lectures in three primary areas essential to the operations of a sleep center: managing a sleep center; coding and reimbursement in 2012; and the future of sleep medicine practice. Physicians interested in learning about the state-of-the-art in patient care management and sleep center management should plan to attend both courses and can save more than 20% on registration fees when you register for the full weekend on or before the advanced registration deadline of January 27, 2012.