DARIEN, IL — New Current Procedural Terminology codes for unattended sleep testing have been included by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the Medicare physician fee schedule proposed rule, which CMS posted online yesterday. The updated CPT code set, which the American Academy of Sleep Medicine helped develop and advance, is intended to better align coding with contemporary clinical practice, modern sleep testing technology, and the work required to provide and interpret these services.
The proposed changes respond to significant advances in sleep testing since the existing unattended sleep testing codes were created. Earlier codes were developed when available technologies were more limited and primarily focused on diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea. Today’s Food and Drug Administration-approved sleep testing technologies can collect and analyze a wider range of physiologic signals, derive sleep measurements, and support evaluation of multiple sleep disorders beyond obstructive sleep apnea.
“These new codes represent an important step toward modernizing how unattended sleep testing is reported and valued,” said AASM President Dr. Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg. “As sleep testing technologies and clinical applications continue to evolve, coding must keep pace with current clinical practice. The AASM is proud to have helped lead this effort to support fair and appropriate reimbursement while ensuring that coding better reflects the care patients receive.”
At a high level, the revised structure replaces three existing unattended sleep testing CPT codes (95800, 95801 and 95806) with six new codes that better reflect the complexity of the study. It separates technical services from professional interpretation and reporting. Technical services include activities related to equipment setup, data acquisition, operational support, and scoring and technical analysis, while professional services include interpretation and reporting by a physician or other qualified healthcare professional. This approach more closely aligns unattended sleep testing with Medicare valuation principles and better reflects the work performed by different members of the care team.
The AASM collaborated with the American Academy of Neurology, American College of Chest Physicians, and American Thoracic Society to submit significant revisions to the unattended sleep testing code family to the American Medical Association CPT Editorial Panel. This work reflects years of sustained collaboration and feedback from across the sleep community. The CPT Editorial Panel review process included broad stakeholder participation, and after approval, the codes were referred to the committee that updates the resource-based relative value scale. Drawing on survey data from physician members of the participating medical societies, it evaluated the clinical staff time, medical supplies, and equipment needed to provide the services. Those recommendations were then sent to CMS, which will ultimately finalize the relative value units for each code.
While CMS is proposing to finalize the Relative Value Scale Update Committee-recommended values for five of the six new codes, the Agency is proposing a slightly lower value than what was recommended for the remaining code. The values included in the CMS physician fee schedule proposed rule are not final. The AASM will submit comments on the proposed relative value units for each code, and CMS will review public comments and additional paid invoices submitted by the public, as requested, before publishing final values in the physician fee schedule final rule, expected in October 2026. The new codes are scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
The AASM will provide additional analysis, education, and opportunities for engagement as the rulemaking process continues and as members, vendors, and payers prepare for the transition to the revised codes. More detailed information about the new code structure and its implications for sleep medicine practices will be shared in future AASM communications.
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About the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Established in 1975, the AASM is a medical association that advances sleep care and enhances sleep health to improve lives. The AASM membership includes more than 9,500 physicians, scientists, and other healthcare professionals who help people who have sleep disorders. The AASM also accredits 2,300 sleep centers that are providing the highest quality of sleep care across the country.
