Grants for Original Research Announced: Sleep Medicine Fellowships

Four $50,000 One-Year Awards by Pharmaceutical Company

Announced this week was the launch of the Jazz Pharmaceuticals Fellowship Training Grant in Sleep Medicine for physician and research. Fellows conducting original peer-review research in sleep medicine are eligible for the 2008-2009 academic year. Program sponsors hope to support promising research conducted by Fellows in accredited sleep training programs, or complementary programs focused in the field of sleep medicine. Read more here.

Case Study Video: Adult Sleep Disorder Induced by Childhood Trauma

Dr. L. Peabody Groat, Jr. discusses research findings on newly identified potential sleep disorders at the Groat Center for Sleep Disorders.

SAVE THE DATES: (No Cost) DeVilbiss 2007 Sleep Webinars

Continuing Education Credits (CECs) by the American Association of Sleep Technologists application has been made by DeVilbiss Healthcare, Inc. There is no cost to participate in the Webinars, and information will be posted in April regarding toll-free call-in numbers and pass codes. Attendance will require a high-speed Internet connection and a telephone line for audio. For pre-registration, attendees may email sleepsymposia@yahoo.com Please include your current email contact information where you may receive larger files.

April 25: 11am – 12pm EST How to Start an OSA Patient Education Program in Your Sleep Lab

July 24: 11am – 1pm EST (2 Webinars back to back)

(1) OSA and Co-Morbidities: Latest Findings on the Impact of CPAP therapy on Stroke, Diabetes, Parasomnias, and Impotence


(2) Respiratory Events: Overview of the AASM Manual for Scoring of Sleep and Associated events: Rules, Terminology, and Technical Specifications


Sept. 19: 11am – 12pm EST Research Review: Clinical Management of Poor Adherence to CPAP

Be well,
Theresa

Sleep T-Shirts & Novelites

I am always looking for t-shirts or novelties items that display sleep, and I haven’t seen these before by the Advance Healthcare Shop. Remember these for Sleep Tech Appreciation Week October 1-7, 2007.

Sleep-Related T-Shirts

"Z" Pen

New Abstracts & Papers on Sleep (NAPS) March 26 Edition

These are only two of the most recent research papers on sleep topics that can be searched at NAPS.

COLLOP N. The effect of obstructive sleep apnea on chronic medical disorders.Cleve Clin J Med 2007;74(1):72-8. View abstract.

FIESE BH, WINTER MA, SLIWINSKI M, ANBAR RD. Nighttime waking in children with asthma: an exploratory study of daily fluctuations in family climate. J Fam Psychol 2007;21(1):95-103. View abstract.

Podcasts Wednesday March 28th – Kellie Scarrow; and Students from somniSchool

Tune in tomorrow, March 28, 2007 for two new podcasts on Let’s Talk Sleep with Theresa Shumard. My guests will be Kellie Scarrow from the Sleep Education Department at somniTech, Inc. Kellie will discuss sleep education teaching methods. Then, tune in to hear the latest graduating class of Kellie’s students talk about their experiences in learning about sleep technology at their A-STEP accredited courses at somniSchool, and their hopes for their upcoming careers in sleep technology.

To listen to the podcasts March 28th, go to iTunes, or Let’s Talk Sleep by Sleepmate Radio.

To listen to past podcasts, click here.

Sleep Symposia & Events Updates: Save the Dates

New England Polysomnographic Society (NEPS) 5th Annual Meeting
August 23 - 24, 2007. Portsmouth, NH at the Frank Jones Center, 400 Us Highway 1 Bypass, 03801. For more information, email: info@nepolysomnographic.org . An online registration will soon be available, and information posted on the Let’s Talk Sleep blog.

Montana Regional Sleep Seminar 2007, September 6 - 8, 2007, Billings, MontanaHosted by The Sleep Center at St. Vincent Healthcare at the Mansfield Health Education Center. Also presented will be a full day Technologist Review Course. AARC CRCE and AAST CEC applications will be submitted. Registration fee ($75) includes 3 day conference, exhibits, continuing education credits, break refreshments, continental breakfasts and lunches. For more information, contact Karen Y. Allen, CRT, RPSGT @ karen.allen@svh-mt.org or call toll free 1 (866) 4 SNORES.


The Fourth Greater Lehigh Valley Area Sleep Technology Symposium October 6, 2007, Bethlehem, PA, at the Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg. For information, email denise.schuler@lvh.com.

AAST Sleep Technologist Appreciation Week October 1-7, 2007
Traditionally held in March, the annual American Association of Sleep Technologists (AAST) Sleep Technologist Appreciation Week recognizes the critical role that sleep technologists play in the provision of quality medical care for people with sleep disorders. Because Sleep Technologist Appreciation Week competes for the nation’s attention, the dates of this important event have been changed to October 1-7, 2007 (A2Zzz Magazine, Vol.16, No.1, pg7). October is a time in the year when Sleep Technologists will be in the spotlight and receive recognition they deserve for the hard work and dedication to professional excellence. The AAST will make resources and materials available for use by sleep disorders centers and laboratories for sleep-related breathing disorders in the promotion of this year’s event. In the coming months, updates, announcements and promotional tools will be posted on the AAST’s Web site.

Hosting a sleep conference or event?

To have your sleep conference listed on the Let’s Talk Sleep Blog, email sleepsymposia@yahoo.com Please include a name and phone number for verification purposes.

In Memory of Andrea Patterson

It is with deep sadness that I post this information. The Sleep Community mournes the passing of one if its most beloved and respected members, Andrea Patterson, R.EEG.T, RPSGT. Andrea was a pioneer in the field of polysomnographic technology and served the field in numerous efforts to advance the profession since the 1970s.

Friends may sign Andrea's guest book online.

Andrea's obituary as published in the Star Tribune March 18:

Patterson, Andrea Beloved Mother, Sister, Aunt and Friend Age 67, on March 16, 2007. Survived by daughter Laura; son Jeremy; sister Lynn, brothers Elroy, Leroy and Fred. A funeral/wake to begin Monday, March 19, 4:00 PM at the Office of Indian Ministry, 3045 Park Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55407. Funeral services and interment will be held Wednesday in South Dakota. THOMSON-DOUGHERTY 612-871-4407

Published in the Star Tribune on 3/18/2007.

Andrea, my dearest, my "Milady Faire," I will miss you, my forever sister and friend.

The dead they sleep...

The dead they sleep a long, long sleep;
The dead they rest, and their rest is deep;
The dead have peace, but the living weep.
~Samuel Hoffenstein

Milady, I will love you... always,

Theresa

Question Posted by Reader of Let's Talk Sleep Blog Re: CMS Review on Home Testing

Hello All,

Someone wrote in and asked underneath this posting from yesterday: "CMS Reviewing Issue Surrounding Home Sleep Testing; 30-Day Public Comment Period Now Open"

The reader did not sign their name, but I thought I would post their question and my answer here on the blog.

The letter requesting the CMS review by the American Academy of Otolaryngology lists studies in the letter. Readers can view that letter by clicking here.

Show Original Post


Anonymous said...
This issue is being reviewed again already! Who's behind this push? The recent CMS review of this same issue resulted in the determination that the technology was not yet reliable enough for home use. The AASM formal study of portable testing has just been initiated. Is there a new, large quantity of data available to effect the first CMS determination?
Mar 15, 2007 1:16:00 PM

Let's Talk Sleep! said...
The CMS received the request from the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck SurgeryYou can read the request letter at: https://www.cms.hhs.gov/DeterminationProcess/downloads/id204.pdf
Mar 15, 2007 1:22:00 PM
----end---

Many of the questions readers have been asking me today can be answered by listening to a podcast related to this topic

The podcast is now posted at www.letstalksleep that features Lena Kauffman, editor for Sleep Review who recently conducted interviews with five members of the Sleep Community for the Sleep Review Home Testing Podcast Series. Kauffman’s guests included Dr. William C. Dement, Dr. Barbara Phillips, Dr. Michael J. Breus, Dr. Dominic A. Munafo, and Dr. David White. The Kauffman podcast will be available to listeners through Let’s Talk Sleep or iTunes by no-cost, direct download.



Be well,
Theresa

CMS Reviewing Issue Surrounding Home Sleep Testing; 30-Day Public Comment Period Now Open

A formal request was accepted and a review initiated today by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding its national coverage determination (NCD) on the diagnosis of patients with obstruct obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) requiring CPAP therapy. Current national coverage policy specifies that only polysomnography done in a facility-based sleep study laboratory can be used to identify patients with OSA requiring CPAP (see section 240.4 of CAG-00093R2).

A 30-day public comment period for reconsideration of this issue was opened today by CMS and runs now through April 13th. The proposed decision memo due date is September 14, 2007.

To read more about CMS review and instructions for submitting pubic commentary, click here.