January 2008

Section Bulletin Needs Your Input
The section is currently seeking topics and articles for the 2008 Section Bulletins, and we would like to invite all our members to weigh in by filling out our ONLINE FORM. So start thinking about what you’d like to see in your Bulletins this year, and then suggest those topics via the form. If you’d like to write an article for the Bulletin, you can note that in your comments as well, and our Bulletin editor will contact you for more information.

New Practice Parameters Available
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s Standards of Practice Committee has updated practice parameters for narcolepsy therapy and developed the first practice parameters governing the treatment of other hypersomnias of central origin, including idiopathic hypersomnia, recurrent hypersomnia, and hypersomnia due to a medical condition. The document, which is divided into three sections based on the strength of the scientific evidence, was published in the Dec. 1 issue of SLEEP. READ ARTICLE

Behavior Model May Help OSA Patients Recognize the Need to Exercise
A new study in the Dec. 15 edition of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine suggests sleep centers may want to make greater use of the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of behavior change to assess the readiness of OSA patients to exercise. The authors note overweight is a key risk factor for OSA, and losing weight can help ameliorate the condition. The TTM, which has been successfully used to gauge readiness for change in smoking cessation and other programs, was tested in a group of patients suspected of having OSA. Not surprisingly, more than 60% fell into the pre-action stages on the TTM, and those patients were also to found to exercise the least. The authors believe the TTM can help overweight OSA patients recognize the importance of weight loss to the treatment of their OSA. READ ARTICLE

Hotels, Motels Not Acceptable for Sleep Testing
A new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rule on independent diagnostic testing facilities (IDTF) nixes the use of hotels or motels for sleep testing. CMS states, “We are adopting a revision to §410.33(g)(3) to expressly preclude hotels and motels from being considered an appropriate site for an IDTF setting. Based on public comments, we believe that a hotel or motel is not an appropriate place for diagnostic testing to take occur (sic). Accordingly, we have revised §410.33(g)(3) to read, ‘Maintain a physical facility on an appropriate site. For the purposes of this standard, a post office box, commercial mailbox, motel, or hotel are not considered an appropriate site.’” The rule went into effect on Jan. 1. READ RULE

OSA May be Complicating Epilepsy
OSA may be complicating epilepsy in some patients. That’s the key finding from Vanderbilt University researchers who studied 21 elderly epilepsy patients. The investigators noted a significantly higher apnea-hypopnea index in the 11 patients with late onset or worsening seizures than in the 10 patients who were either free of seizures or who experienced an improvement in seizures. The authors believe identifying and treating OSA in epilepsy patients may help improve seizure control. The study appeared in a recent issue of Neurology. READ ARTICLE