For the next year one of my goals as president is to ensure that the AASM continues to fight for our members on issues related to insurance coverage and reimbursement for sleep medicine services.

In recent months, I’ve received numerous comments from members regarding changes to their regional insurance coverage policies, which typically have involved new preauthorization requirements and utilization management review. While similar billing and reimbursement procedures have been common in other medical specialties for many years, their implementation for sleep study coverage has been a dramatic change for sleep physicians

After becoming a student member in 1994, my level of involvement in the AASM steadily increased as I volunteered on committees, served on the Board of Directors, and was elected as president.  This experience has greatly contributed to my personal and professional growth, giving me the pleasure of working closely with likeminded colleagues to help advance the field of sleep medicine.

In recent months many of us have been learning new economic lessons about supply and demand. Insurers in some regions of the country have dramatically increased the demand for out of center sleep testing (OCST). As a result, sleep centers are faced with the challenge of supplying OCST services to meet this demand.

Last month I joined 300 colleagues in attendance at the AASM’s sold-out winter course in Phoenix on “Emerging Clinical and Business Trends in Sleep Medicine.”  The challenge issued to all attendees was that sleep centers must make plans immediately to integrate OCST as health care policy makers continue to focus on cost containment and efficiency. The way this is done will vary depending on your sleep center’s business model.  Some sleep center directors will determine that the best option for their center is to outsource specific OCST services to a national contractor. These sleep centers will benefit from the AASM’s new program to recognize national contractors offering OCST services that meet AASM accreditation standards.

Obesity intervention programs must take a comprehensive approach to address the complex risk factors that contribute to weight gain in children, and this approach should include an emphasis on healthy sleep. That is what I communicated this week in a letter from the AASM to First Lady Michelle Obama, who launched the Let’s Move initiative in 2010 to improve physical activity and nutrition among children.

I want to provide you with important updates about a few AASM initiatives related to out of center sleep testing (OCST) that will empower sleep centers to successfully navigate the changing landscape of sleep medicine. First, the AASM has completed a comprehensive revision of the Standards for Accreditation of Out of Center Sleep Testing (OCST) in Adult Patients. The revisions strengthen the standards in areas such as HIPAA compliance, personnel, equipment maintenance, data reporting and quality assurance. These changes ensure that patients will continue to receive the highest quality of care from OCST suppliers.

“The American Academy of Sleep Medicine considers sleep disorders an illness that has reached epidemic proportions.” “AASM encourages patients to talk to their doctors about sleep problems or visit www.sleepeducation.com for a searchable directory of sleep centers.” You’ll soon be seeing that message on news releases and other communications coming out of AASM. It’s part of the AASM PR initiative to raise public awareness of sleep disorders, which I discussed here recently. These carefully chosen words are designed to sound an alarm and get people the help they need.

Thanksgiving Day is an opportunity for us to spend time with family and friends and reflect on what is most important in our lives. As Cynthia Ozick writes, “We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” As president of the AASM, I want you to know that I am extremely grateful for your loyal support of the sleep medicine field.

The coming weekend, the Board of Directors will meet in Chicago to discuss a broad range of issues that currently affect our Academy and have future implications for sleep medicine. Over the coming weeks, I will share news and announcements from the meeting with you and also provide updates on continuing initiatives led by the Board of Directors.