I received the press release below via email. The two main type 4 devices that meet CMS criteria for home testing for OSA are the Itamar Watch-PAT100 and the Resmed ApneaLink (with the optional oximeter). Neither device is acceptable by the AASM for accredited sleep centers. The AASM has approved certain type 3 devices for accredited sleep centers.
Press Release
Hold until 18:00 (13 March, 2008)
"Watch-PAT100 included as an accepted ambulatory device for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries"
Itamar Medical Inc. is pleased to report that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released today its final National Coverage Decision (NCD) where it has decided to cover the Watch-PAT 100 for home diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea. This decision will make the Watch-PAT available to Medicare beneficiaries nationwide.
"Today's decision will mean that Medicare beneficiaries in the United States will have access to one of the most accurate, convenient, and cost-effective home sleep testing diagnostic device for sleep apnea," said Itamar Medical Inc. CEO Israel Schreiber. "Medicare now joins the Department of Veterans Affairs, Kaiser Permanente, and other organizations and physicians nationwide in recognizing the usefulness and benefits of Watch-PAT in the diagnosis of sleep apnea."
"The Watch-PAT is already a widely used home sleep testing device, and this coverage decision means that all Medicare beneficiaries suspected of having obstructive sleep apnea will have access to a device that was designed to provide uniquely convenient and comfortable use with proven accurate and reliable performance," said Gary Sagiv, Itamar Medical Inc's Vice President.
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