Another company is including the clinical evaluation as part of their HST service. Isn that a better option?
Medicare has made it clear that both the evaluation and the follow-up visits must to be done by the treating physician (there are allowances for nurse practitioners to be involved under the treating physician). These services are fine for private pay patients or insurers whose policies differ from Medicare’s, but it’s difficult to keep track of which ones those are. The intent of the IDS program is to help primary care physicians become more comfortable talking with their patients about their sleep. Treating sleep apnea has been shown to improve glucose control in diabetics, lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke and increase energy allowing patients to exercise and lose weight. With discussions at the nation’s capital focusing on pay-for-performance and the medical centered home, we believe this approach benefits patients and makes primary care physicians more likely to succeed should such changes be implemented.
Medicare has made it clear that both the evaluation and the follow-up visits must be done by the treating physician (there are allowances for nurse practitioners under the treating physicians to be involved). These services are fine for private pay patients or insurers whose policies differ from Medicare’s, but it’s difficult to track of which policies approve and which policies disapprove. The intent of IDS Sleep is to help PCPs become more comfortable talking with their patients about their sleeping habits. Treating sleep apnea has been shown to improve glucose control in diabetics, lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke and increase energy, allowing patients to exercise and lose weight. With discussions at the nation’s capital focusing on pay-for-performance and the medical-centered home, we believe this approach benefits patients and makes PCPs more likely to succeed should such changes be implemented.
