On Feb. 25, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hosted the 2026 CMS Burden Reduction Conference, uniting stakeholders in person and virtually for a focused discussion on minimizing administrative burden across the health care sector. The panel addressed transparency in [...]
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have acknowledged stakeholder questions regarding the appropriate coding for hypoglossal nerve neurostimulator procedures used to treat obstructive sleep apnea. Specifically, CMS recognized that existing Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes do not fully describe certain newer systems. [...]
On Feb. 27, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a notice announcing a nationwide, six-month moratorium on the enrollment of new durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) suppliers in Medicare. The moratorium, effective immediately, is intended to help [...]
As part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, which ended the recent partial government shutdown, Congress extended several Medicare telehealth flexibilities through Dec. 31, 2027. These policies, originally introduced during the COVID-19 public health emergency, were set to expire Jan. 30, 2026. The [...]
After advocacy efforts by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and other medical organizations, UnitedHealthcare has announced a delay in implementing its remote patient monitoring policy. The AASM recently submitted a letter to UnitedHealthcare opposing its new remote patient monitoring policy and the [...]
On Jan. 2, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) submissions for the Quality Payment Program (QPP) can be submitted through 8 p.m. ET March 31, 2026. The AASM has developed the AASM MIPS Submission [...]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the CY 2026 Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) final rule on Oct. 31, 2025. AASM submitted a comprehensive comment letter to CMS outlining priority policy changes to protect patient access to sleep medicine services, ensure [...]
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has also signed on to a multispecialty coalition letter urging Elevance Health/Anthem to immediately rescind its newly announced Facility Administrative Policy: Use of a Nonparticipating Care Provider. The policy, set to take effect Jan. 1, 2026, would [...]
Following the implementation of downcoding policies by two major private payers, Aetna and Cigna, effective Oct. 1, 2025, AASM analyzed payer trends and identified additional health plans with active or proposed downcoding programs targeting higher-level evaluation and management (E/M) services. These include Ambetter [...]
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine joined more than 450 national health care organizations in signing on to a letter urging Congress to pass a long-term solution for Medicare telehealth coverage. The letter, sent to congressional leaders on Nov. 4, 2025, highlights how repeated [...]