August 2008

Notes from the Section

• The Summer edition of our Section Bulletin is online now, with a column on sleep accreditation and other section issues, and an article on the high palate and the role it plays in pediatric sleep disorders. READ THE ISSUE 

• We also want to remind everyone to nominate a fellow section member for our Specialty Practitioner of the Year award. The deadline is coming up August 31, so visit the SECTION WEB SITE and fill out the online nomination form today! 

Palmetto GBA Issues Draft LCD
Palmetto GBA, which covers California, Hawaii, and Nevada, has issued a draft version of its local coverage determination (LCD), “Polysomnography and Sleep Studies for Testing Sleep and Respiratory Disorders.” The document, which is expected to go into effect on September 2, states, “The polysomnography must be performed in a facility-based sleep study laboratory, and not in the home or in a mobile facility.” READ ARTICLE VIEW LCD

Sleep Falters in Menopause
A new study out of Rush University Medical Center finds women experience increasing difficulties with sleep as they move through menopause. The research involved 3,000 women between the ages of 42 and 52 who were beginning the transition to menopause. During 7 years of follow up, the investigators found women were more likely to report problems falling asleep and staying asleep. Waking up earlier than planned was an issue through late perimenopause, but appeared to abate as women became menopausal. The authors attribute the changes to changing hormone levels. Specifically, a drop in estradiol was linked to trouble falling asleep. Increases in estradiol and follicle stimulating hormone were associated with frequent waking during the night. Hormone therapy, however, failed to provide consistent relief of these problems across all groups. The study was published in the July 1 issue of SLEEP. READ ARTICLE

CMS Issues CPAP Proposal
More changes appear to be in the works for CPAP coverage. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a proposal that would “prohibit payment to the supplier of the CPAP device when such supplier, or its affiliate, is directly or indirectly the provider of the sleep test that is used to diagnose a Medicare beneficiary with OSA,” reports Sleep Review Magazine. The policy, which is open for comment until August 29, is causing concern among industry leaders, who believe it may need further clarification to help providers understand which types of business relationships are forbidden. READ ARTICLE

Untreated Sleep Apnea Ups All-Cause Mortality Risk