Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee to Review At-Home Sleep Testing
The Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee has set a meeting for Sept. 12 in order to determine if at-home sleep testing for sleep disorders will lead to clients being reimbursed for their CPAP therapy. Currently policy specifies that clients who receive testing outside of polysomnography at a sleep lab are not covered for their positive airway pressure therapy.
The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAOHNS) formally asked CMS to review its national coverage determination to see if the current policy can be changed.
AAOHNS reports that at-home sleep testing often shows the same results as sleep-lab testing and at-home testing will open doors for more people to be tested. On the other hand, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine reports that sleep labs are more prevalent than they used to be and home-testing isn't a proven method of evaluation.
The meeting will determine the validity of at-home sleep testing. The meeting is scheduled from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the main auditorium of the CMS building at 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore. Registration can take place via e-mail at
[email protected] or by phone at (410) 786-0309.
Respironics Opens New Manufacturing Facility
In other sleep news, Respironics Inc. has announced plans to build a $32 million manufacturing facility focused on the production of its sleep therapy devices. Situated on 56 acres at Westmoreland Business & Research Park in Upper Burrell Township, the new 165,000-square-foot facility will be located approximately seven miles from the company's Corporate Headquarters and its current Sleep and Home Respiratory manufacturing facility in Murrysville, Pa.
The need for a dedicated plant for sleep therapy products is owed to sizable growth in the global sleep market, estimated to be growing at 15 percent to 20 percent coupled with Respironics' widening portfolio of medical devices designed to address market needs in the overall sleep and respiratory markets globally. Since the current plant was constructed in 1990, Respironics has grown to a $1.2 billion company with a presence in more than 131 countries. It operates manufacturing sites in Pennsylvania, California, Georgia, Connecticut, Oregon and abroad.
"This new facility will enable us to further the development of our center of excellence manufacturing strategy by focusing on products to support our obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) business, a core growth driver of the company," said John L. Miclot, president and chief executive officer. "It also offers us many other benefits including the potential for high volume material logistics and production and optimization of process efficiencies," Miclot added. Visit www.respironics.com for more information.
This article originally appeared in the July 2007 issue of HME Business.