2010 State Society Update
At the start of this initiative, there were 18 state sleep societies. Currently, there are 43 established state sleep societies.
Florida House Bill 971 Signed into Law, Establishing “Drowsy Driving Prevention Week”
The bill designates the first week of September as "Drowsy Driving Prevention Week." During the week, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and the Department of Transportation are encouraged to educate the law enforcement community and the public about the relationship between fatigue and driving performance.
Hawaii Senate Bill 2600 Signed into Law, Providing Exemption for Sleep Technologists
Hawaii was one of two states (with Alaska) that did not have statutory language addressing the education or training requirements for either sleep technologists or respiratory therapists.
Virginia House Bill 725 Signed by Governor: Establishes Licensure for Sleep Technologists
Virginia is now the ninth jurisdiction to provide sleep technologists a specific licensure/certification pathway. Other jurisdictions that have licensure/certification include: California, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Tennessee and Washington D.C.
California Proposed Regulations Addressing the Certification of Sleep Technologists
In August, the Medical Board of California (Board) issued proposed regulations outlining the educational and training requirements a sleep technologist must complete to obtain the designation of “certified polysomnographic technologist” by the Board. The regulations execute Senate Bill 132 (SB 132) which was signed into law on October 23, 2009.
New Hampshire Proposed Regulations Addressing the Licensure of Sleep Technologists
The New Hampshire Respiratory Care Practice Act contains statutory language which allows the state Respiratory Care Board (“Board”) to have “the authority” to adopt rules specifying the scope of practice for registered polysomnographic technologists.” This past September, the Board issued proposed regulatory language outlining the scope of practice for sleep technologists, and detailing the educational and training requirements a sleep technologist needs to complete to obtain a license.
Tennessee Board of Respiratory Care Regulation for Third Pathway
In June, the Tennessee Board of Respiratory Care (TBRC) issued an emergency regulation outlining the specific requirements a respiratory therapist must complete to perform sleep care services pursuant to the Tennessee Polysomnography Practice Act.
Oregon Respiratory Therapist Licensing Board’s (ORTLB) Proposed Sleep Laboratory Exemption
The purpose of the proposal was to develop regulatory language which would allow unlicensed individuals to practice certain areas of “respiratory care” within a sleep lab.
CMS Publishes Change to Conversion Factor
In an Emergency Update to the CY 2011 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) Database published Dec. 29, 2010, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) revised the conversion factor from the December 2010 rate of $36.8729 to a new rate of $33.9764 effective Jan. 1, 2011.
Study shows that CPAP therapy reduces fatigue, increases energy in patients with sleep apnea
Patients with obstructive sleep apnea often report that they feel like “a new person” after beginning treatment with continuous positive airway pressure therapy. A new study in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal SLEEP provides objective evidence to support these anecdotal reports, showing that three weeks of CPAP therapy significantly reduced fatigue and increased energy in patients with OSA.
2011 Call for Nominations for the Board of Directors
Each year we elect new leaders who guide the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and address the interests and needs of our members. As the sleep medicine field evolves, the AASM requires strong leaders to set the direction of our organization and connect with members to determine how the organization will support our membership.
AHRQ Announces New Patient Safety & Medical Liability Reform Funding Opportunities
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) recently announced two new funding opportunities for 2011. The Patient Safety and Medical Liability Reform Demonstration Projects (PAR-11-025) and the Patient Safety and Medical Liability Reform Planning Projects (PAR-11-023) support demonstration grants and planning grants that focus on: putting patient safety first and working to reduce preventable injuries; fostering better communication between doctors and their patients; ensuring that patients are compensated in a fair and timely manner for medical injuries, while also reducing the incidence of frivolous lawsuits; and reducing liability premiums. Standard application dates apply; the expiration date for both opportunities is Jan. 8, 2014.
AASM Acknowledges December Contributions to the ISR Testing Program
Each month a new set of 200 consecutive epochs from a sleep record is posted online for the AASM Inter-scorer Reliability Testing Program. This convenient online program provides sleep centers, educational programs and research labs with the opportunity to compare the scoring ability of their staff and students with the AASM Gold Standard Scorer.
President Obama Signs “The Medicare and Medicaid Extenders Act of 2010” into Law
On Wednesday President Obama signed into law “The Medicare and Medicaid Extenders Act of 2010” (HR 4994), which will extend current Medicare reimbursement rates until Jan. 1, 2012.
The law prevents the scheduled reduction to the overall rate of physician reimbursement for services provided to Medicare beneficiaries. The conversion factor, one of the key elements of the Medicare payment formula, will remain at $36.87 for 2011.
Broaden Your Professional Interests: Volunteer for an AASM Committee
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine invites members to apply participate on a standing committee by December 27, 2010
NCCAM Clinical Digest Focuses on Sleep and Complementary & Alternative Medicine
The December 2010 issue of the NCCAM Clinical Digest summarizes what is known about some of the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches that people use for insomnia, including herbs, melatonin and related supplements, and other CAM approaches.
Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board Meeting is Friday, Dec. 10
The National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR) Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board will continue a discussion of the NIH Sleep Research Plan, host a guest presentation on “Sleep and Aviation Noise” and discuss reports from ad hoc consultant working groups during a board meeting from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday, Dec. 10, 2010.
Legislation Clarifying the Application of the “Red Flags” Rule Clears Congress
On Nov. 30, the Senate passed bipartisan legislation, the “Red Flag Clarification Act of 2010” (S. 3827) by unanimous consent. The House passed the measure Dec. 7, and it has been sent to the President for approval.
New AASM Course to Provide Sleep Center Managers with Comprehensive Information and Take-Home Tools
On April 4–7, 2011, the AASM will host a Sleep Center Manager Boot Camp at the AASM national office in Darien, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago). The intensive 3½ day course has been developed to provide center managers and those interested in learning more about management with an interactive, tailored review of the unique business practices associated with running a sleep center.
Updated Requirements for A-STEP Online Self-Study Modules Take Effect Jan. 1
Effective Jan. 1, 2011, the AASM Accredited Sleep Technologist Education Program (A-STEP) will require the completion of all 18 online A-STEP Self-Study Modules: the 14 modules that have been required since the program’s inception along with four additional scoring modules that were introduced in 2009 as a program supplement.
Updated Requirements for A-STEP Online Self-Study Modules Take Effect Jan. 1
Effective Jan. 1, 2011, the AASM Accredited Sleep Technologist Education Program (A-STEP) will require the completion of all 18 online A-STEP Self-Study Modules: the 14 modules that have been required since the program’s inception along with four additional scoring modules that were introduced in 2009 as a program supplement.
Deadline for SLEEP 2011 Abstract Submission is Dec. 15
SLEEP 2011 marks the 25th Anniversary Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC (APSS). Be a part of this historic meeting by presenting your latest research as a scientific oral or poster presentation. The deadline to submit your completed abstract(s) through the meeting’s website is Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2010.
Limited Time Remains to Take Advantage of 2011 Membership Renewal Offers
AASM members must renew their membership by Dec. 31, 2010, to receive 2011 renewal offers.
Information on Sleep Medicine Codes 95800 and 95801
Published in the 2011 Physician Fee Schedule is information on payment for sleep medicine codes, including national values for physician work, practice expense and professional liability insurance RVUs. The new values for the RVUs are effective January 1, 2011.
Senate Approves 1-Year Delay to Medicare Payment Cuts for Physicians
On Wednesday the Senate unanimously approved by voice vote a bipartisan bill (HR 4994) that would delay scheduled cuts, which were the result of the SGR, to physicians' Medicare payments for one year.