Helping others sleep better every night!
From the category archives:
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) revises the reimbursement rates for all services. During the review and revision process for the coming year, there’s often at least one or two areas that bring about heated discussion in the private sector over reimbursement, generally because of a reduction or a less-than-wanted/less-than-desired increase. This year, as over the past few years, home oxygen was a hot topic.
CMS announced late last year it was reviewing issues related to sleep apnea. The reason given was because the number of Medicare claims over the past few years have shot up like rocket. Much of that is attributed to patient education, community awareness, and various outreach efforts, such as those initiated by Awake In America and other organizations.
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has expanded Medicare coverage for continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices to include beneficiaries who have been diagnosed, using a home sleep test, with obstructive sleep apnea. CMS also announced changes to simplify certain test requirements.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition characterized by the complete cessation of breathing for a period of at least 10 seconds (apnea) during sleep. In most instances, obstructive sleep apnea is diagnosed by counting the number of sleep disturbances that occur during a specific time interval. Up to four million Medicare beneficiaries may suffer from some form of obstructive sleep apnea.
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Previously uninsured adults who received Medicare coverage reported improvements in health, especially those with cardiovascular disease or diabetes, according to a study published in the December 26 issue of JAMA.
“Uninsured near-elderly adults, particularly those with cardiovascular disease or diabetes, experience worse health outcomes and use more health services as Medicare beneficiaries after age 65 years than insured near-elderly adults. Because chronic diseases are prevalent and insurance coverage is often unaffordable for older uninsured adults, the impact of near-universal Medicare coverage at age 65 years on the health of previously uninsured adults may be substantial,” the authors write.
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