Will CMS Base Home Testing Decision on Irrelevant Data?
Just as the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) prepare to make a decision concerning whether or not to approve unattended home testing for obstructive sleep apnea, Reuters is reporting that the agency has often used irrelevant data in prior decisions.
As reported in Sleep Review, an article published in the Jan. 28 edition of The Archives of Internal Medicine, states “CMS often make national coverage determinations based on clinical trials among subjects whose demographics differ substantially from those of Medicare beneficiaries, according to researchers at the University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine.”
Click here to view the whole story.
The research makes me wonder if we can count on CMS to utilize data that accurately reflect the population this proposal is intended to serve. It further strengthens the argument that the proposal is flawed and might only confuse Medicare beneficiaries and provide them with less than adequate care.
Again, we ask "Who Should Care for our Greatest Generation's Sleep Disorders?"
Mark Stoiber, President
About the Author
Steve Gardner is Director of Marketing for the Sleep Wellness Institute and Executive Director of the Reggie White Sleep Disorders Research and Education Foundation, both in West Allis, Wis.
Tell others about
this page:
Comments? Questions? Email Here