The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on June 27 that it would allow providers and suppliers additional time to implement the protocols necessary for the new face-to-face encounter requirement for certain durable medical equipment (DME).

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a report on June 25 summarizing its study on replacement schedules for Medicare continuous positive airway pressure supplies.

On May 28 the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued a report recommending improvements to ensure that provider enrollment data are accurate, complete and consistent. 

In February, the AASM received a request from UnitedHealthcare to comment on a proposed coverage strategy for zolpidem sublingual tablets (Intermezzo).

In the November 2012 Federal Register, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a new requirement for a face-to-face encounter prior to ordering of certain durable medical equipment (DME) including CPAP. The effective date for this new requirement is July 1, 2013.

In June 2012, New York payer MVP announced a new Sleep Study Benefit program that requires preauthorization for sleep testing and encourages the use of out of center sleep testing (OCST) in many patients. Recently, MVP announced a revision to its medical policy for OSA.

On May 8, the department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced an unprecedented initiative to provide consumers with nationwide data on what hospitals charge. HHS explained that by providing this data it hopes that “business and consumers alike can use these data to drive decision-making and reward cost-effective provision of care. In addition to making the data available, HHS is also planning to fund data centers to review and publicize reimbursement data in the future.