Earn CME credit online: August issue of JCSM
The August 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine is now available online, and AASM members have access to the full text of each article when you log in on the website. You also can earn continuing medical education (CME) credits online by reading designated articles and taking the online CME exams within one year of the date of publication.
FDA releases medical device draft guidance for clinical studies and premarket review
On Aug. 15, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it is seeking comment for two sets of proposed guidelines: the draft guidance for Design Considerations for Pivotal Clinical Investigations for Medical Devices, and the draft guidance for Factors to Consider when Making Benefit-Risk Determinations in Medical Device Premarket Review. Submit comments by Nov. 14, 2011.
AHRQ releases comparative effectiveness review for obstructive sleep apnea
Last week the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality released “Comparative Effectiveness Review of the Diagnosis and Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults,” the latest report from AHRQ's Effective Health Care Program. The systematic review included 234 clinical studies published through September 2010.
Medicare Administrative Contractors to begin requesting revalidation
Due to new risk screening criteria required by the Affordable Care Act, providers/suppliers who enrolled in the Medicare program prior to March 25, 2011, will be required to revalidate their Medicare enrollment. Medicare has asked that providers/suppliers do not revalidate until asked to do so by their MAC. Providers/suppliers who enrolled in Medicare after March 25, 2011, have already completed the risk screening process.
Register for the AASM Compliance Program Development Workshop
Now more than ever, sleep medicine is on the radar of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The AASM strongly recommends that all sleep facilities develop a compliance program, including regular file audits, to help ensure appropriate documentation and billing. AASM members and their coding and billing staff are encouraged to attend the upcoming Compliance Program Development Workshop on Friday, Sept. 16 at the AASM national office in Darien, IL.
Advanced registration for Intrepreting Sleep Studies course is Friday
The advanced registration deadline is quickly approaching for an upcoming AASM Sleep Education Series Course held at the AASM national office in Darien, IL (a suburb of Chicago). Save money by registering for the Interpreting Sleep Studies course by Friday, Aug. 26.
AASM updates accreditation standards for sleep centers
The AASM Standards for Accreditation of Sleep Disorders Centers have been revised and updated to reflect several changes as of August 2011. These changes are related to sleep technologist registry examinations that are accepted by the AASM, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification, and inter-scorer reliability. The revised AASM Standards for Accreditation of Sleep Disorders Centers are available for download in the Accreditation section of this website.
Study in JAMA examines the link between sleep apnea and dementia
Older women with sleep-disordered breathing had an increased risk of developing cognitive impairment, according to “Sleep-disordered breathing, hypoxia, and risk of mild cognitive impairment and dementia in older women,” which appears in the Aug. 10 issue of JAMA.
NHLBI Working Group explores alternative Institutional Review Board models
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) convened a Working Group (WG) of invited external experts in heart, lung and blood research and clinical research oversight, bioethics, health economics, regulatory matters and information technology for a meeting June 28-29, 2011. An IRB review process executive summary is available on the NHLBI website.
Advancing respiratory research: A new article by the NHLBI’s James Kiley, PhD
James P. Kiley, PhD, director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Division of Lung Diseases and former director (1995 - 2000) of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR), focused on future opportunities and challenges in “Advancing respiratory research,” an article published in the August 2011 issue of CHEST. Kiley notes that sleep and circadian biology is one of the potential frontiers to advance progress in respiratory biology in health and disease.
Submit ideas for NIH Common Fund programs
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund supports exceptionally innovative programs that are inherently high-risk but have the potential for high-payoff by catalyzing research across all of NIH and in the biomedical research community. New ideas for Common Fund programs are identified annually by internal and external scientists and stakeholders, and NIH is asking for your input on these ideas to help them shape new programs for 2013. The feedback period is open until Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011.
Sleep medicine pharmacology course is open for registration
Clinicians and researchers interested in obtaining a comprehensive review of sleep medicine pharmacology can register to attend the AASM Sleep Education Series course, Pharmacology and Sleep Medicine, to be held Oct. 1–2, 2011, at the AASM national office in Darien, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago). Pharmacology has been designated as a medical content category for the November 2011 American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) sleep medicine certification exam; individuals preparing to take this exam can register for this course to receive an extensive review of topics that may be covered on this exam.
HHS webinar on healthcare-associated infections is Aug. 16
The first webinar in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Healthy People webinar series will focus on healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Join the discussion on Aug. 16, 2011, from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. EDT.
New York enacts “authorization” for sleep technologists
New York Assembly Bill 354 (AB 354), which establishes “authorization” for sleep technologists, was signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo on Aug. 4, 2011. The bill requires an individual performing sleep procedures to obtain an authorization certificate issued by the State Education Department. The AASM has been working with the New York State Society of Sleep Medicine (NYSSSM) over the past 10 years to pass this licensure bill. Now that AB 354 has been enacted, the AASM will assist the NYSSSM on developing the regulatory language.
The Budget Control Act of 2011 and Medicare: Take a brief member survey
On Tuesday, Aug. 2, President Obama signed the fiscal year 2012 budget and deficit reduction agreement (S 365), ensuring that the U.S. will not default on its debts and ending months of contentious negotiations. Under the agreement, federal discretionary spending will be cut by a total of about $2.4 trillion over the next decade, and between now and Nov. 23, a super committee is responsible to find an additional $1.2 trillion in debt reduction over 10 years. If congress doesn't agree on the proposal by the super comittee, automatic cuts will include a 2 percent reduction in Medicare payments to providers. As the law is written, this cut will be on top of a planned 29.4 sustainable growth rate fee reduction schedule for January 2012. The AASM is concerned that physicians may stop accepting Medicare patients if cuts of this magnitude occur. We ask that you take a minute to complete a brief, three-question survey regarding how these cuts, if enacted, will impact your practice.
AASM submits comment to CMS regarding 2012 Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule
On Tuesday, Aug. 9, the AASM sent a comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) outlining concerns regarding the 2012 Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule. The AASM comment letter focuses on the four issues included in the full article. Comments to CMS are due by Aug. 30 using the contact information found on the first page of the Proposed Rule.
AASM Nominating Committee: Submit Nominations by Aug. 17
The AASM invites nominations from the membership for one two-year term on the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee is charged with the evaluation of applications received from the membership and the recommendation of highly-qualified candidates for service in leadership capacities.
ABSM Sleep Technologist Registry Exam applications are due Aug. 15
The new American Board of Sleep Medicine (ABSM) Sleep Technologist Registry Examination will be offered for the first time Nov. 11, 2011. Applications for the exam must be received in the ABSM national office by midnight Monday, Aug. 15, 2011.
HypnoGram: AASM staff
This week’s HypnoGram will focus on the AASM staff. I have been a member of the AASM since 1990 and have greatly enjoyed watching it grow. For those of you who have worked with the AASM staff, I am sure you will agree that they are great – always professional, courteous and helpful. The number of staff has grown commensurate with the society. The AASM has added several PhDs to assist with the development of practice parameters; MBAs to assist with accounting; as well as people with political and health economics experience to assist with legislative and coding issues.
Study examines the prevalence and risk patterns of insomnia symptoms
Difficulty maintaining sleep is the most common insomnia symptom, according to a study in the Aug. 1 issue of SLEEP. The study involved an analysis of data from 6,791 adults who participated in the America Insomnia Survey (AIS), a cross-sectional telephone survey.
Twin study links sleep consolidation to language development in early childhood
A study in the Aug. 1 issue of SLEEP suggests that poor sleep consolidation during the first two years of life may be a risk factor for language learning. The longitudinal study involved 1,029 twins from the Quebec Newborn Twin Study.
NIA announces two R21 grants for translational research related to the elderly
The National Institute on Aging has issued funding opportunity announcements for two exploratory/developmental research (R21) grants for translational research related to age-related conditions and the elderly. The earliest submission date for both grants is Sept. 16, 2011. Standard application due dates apply.
NHLBI releases executive summary of Pediatric Sleep Disturbances workshop
Earlier this week the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) posted an executive summary of a Sept. 9, 2010, workshop on Pediatric Sleep Disturbances and their Contribution to Developmental Pathophysiology of Cardiometabolic Risk.
CMS announces National Version 5010 Testing Week: Aug. 22-26
By Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012, all HIPAA-covered entities are required to be compliant with Version 5010, the new version of the X12 standards for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) transactions. CMS has designated the week of Aug. 22-26, 2011, as National Version 5010 Testing Week to assist in the transition and to encourage providers to perform external testing (Level II) with their Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs).
AASM recognizes its top member recruiters for July
Congratulations to the 16 AASM members who reached out to their professional network and recruited a colleague to become an AASM member in July. For each new member recruited, these individuals will receive a $15 Recognition of Excellence Money (REM) Voucher that can be used toward AASM resources including product purchases, course registrations and more.