Medicare qualifications for a Sleep Technician

Sleep studies performed on patients with medicare at an IDTF must be done by appropriately certified technicians. Below is the regulation (copied from an old reader comment):

CMS document 410.33 (2)(c) states "Nonphysician personnel. Any non-physician personnel used by the IDTF to perform tests must demonstrate the basic qualifications to perform the tests in question and have training and proficiency as evidenced by licensure or certification by the appropiate State health or education department. In the absence of a State licensing board, the technician must be certified by an appropiate national credentialing body. The IDTF must maintain documentation available for review that these requirements are met."

In most states there is no state licensure for sleep technicians.

It is fairly well accepted that the RPSGT and RRT credentials meet CMS requirements. It is unclear if RN (or LPN) is acceptable. The CPSGT credential is probably not sufficient, but I have not seen this officially.

If any readers have any clarification on this regulation, I would appreciate a comment.

Please note, this regulation applies only to IDTF's, not to hospital-associated sleep labs or to sleep labs organized as an extentsion to a physician practice.