Tag: American Academy of Sleep Medicine

DARIEN, Ill. – The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has named Jennifer Martin as president of its board of directors.  Martin, a licensed clinical psychologist, is a professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is also associate director for clinical and health services research at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System’s Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center.    “I am honored...

DARIEN, Ill. – The American Academy of Sleep Medicine applauds the U.S. Senate for passing the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill that would eliminate twice yearly time changes, but it says establishing a permanent standard time would be a better option.  The Senate on Tuesday passed the bill to make daylight saving time permanent starting in 2023.  AASM in 2020 issued a position statement supporting the elimination of seasonal time changes. It says data show the sudden change...

ARLINGTON, Va. – More than half of Americans (56%) say they have experienced an increase in sleep disturbances since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according a survey commissioned by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.   Of the reported sleep disturbances, or “COVID-somnia,” most common was trouble falling or staying asleep (57%). Others included sleeping less (46%), experiencing worse quality sleep (45%) and having more disturbing dreams (36%).  “COVID-somnia...

DARIEN, Ill. – The American Academy of Sleep Medicine will use a new grant from the Centers for Disease Control to reach the millions of Americans who don’t know they have obstructive sleep apnea, says Dr. Raman Malhotra, president.  “OSA is very common and although we tend to see lots of patients in clinic, it’s interesting that 80% are undiagnosed,” he said. “Millions of Americans don’t even know the symptoms or don’t know what to do if they...

DARIEN, Ill. – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded a grant to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine for a new awareness program focused on improving recognition of obstructive sleep apnea.  Nearly 30 million American adults have OSA and 80% are undiagnosed, costing the U.S. more than $149 billion annually in increased health care and mental health care costs, lost work productivity and increased accidents, according to a press release.  “Millions...

DARIEN, Ill. – The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has organized its second annual Student Sleep Health Week, Sept. 12-18, to encourage students, families and teachers to recognize that sleep is essential for health and learning. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, 78% of high school students and 34% of children don’t get sufficient sleep on an average school night, and studies show that the COVID-19 pandemic...

DARIEN, Ill. – A proposed web-based app called “MySleepVillage” took second place in the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s first ever Change Agents, a contest designed to generate creative ideas for diagnosing and treating obstructive sleep apnea.  The app aims to streamline patient communication and testing; connect to physicians, insurers and medical equipment companies; and provide options for remote monitoring of CPAP usage. The team behind it estimates that...

DARIEN, Ill. – The American Academy of Sleep Medicine is launching a new accreditation application type to simplify the accreditation process for multi-site health systems. Sleep medicine practices and facilities that are under the same ownership or legal entity and operate under the same policies and procedures can create an Accreditation Network to streamline and coordinate multiple accredited programs. “It can be complicated to manage multiple accreditations when health care entities...

YARMOUTH, Maine – As sleep stakeholders band together to address the Philips recall, they're grappling not only with equipment shortages, but also risk assessment and who should be at the front of the line for repairs and replacements.  In announcing the recall, Philips advised Bi-Level and CPAP patients to discontinue using affected devices and work with their physicians or HME providers to determine the most appropriate options for continued treatment.   “It should...

DARIEN, Ill. – The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and other professional organizations are making the case to CMS and private payers that the 90-day adherence rule for PAP therapy should be temporarily suspended in the wake of the Philips recall.  “Given that many patients will be affected by the recall, we are requesting support from CMS and private payers to temporarily suspend the 90-day adherence rule to allow patients to have existing equipment repaired or receive new...