The AASM is recognizing national suppliers that perform technical functions associated with the provision of Out of Center Sleep Testing services and meet AASM accreditation standards. National suppliers that earn the new designation of Approved OCST Supplier are companies that offer to perform specific technical components of OCST for sleep centers. These services may include patient training and distribution of OCST equipment; patient support during testing; equipment retrieval, cleaning and maintenance; data scoring; and the secure transfer of test data.
This program is intended to help sleep centers navigate through the rapidly changing health care landscape. If you determine that it is beneficial for your sleep center to contract with a national OCST supplier, then this program will help you select a company whose services meet AASM accreditation standards. National contractors that apply for the Approved OCST Supplier designation must complete a thorough application process, which includes a site visit, to verify that its policies and procedures are consistent with the AASM standards for accreditation of OCST. With numerous companies offering OCST testing services, the designation of an Approved OCST Supplier will give you confidence that your contract arrangement will enable you to maintain the high quality of your patient care.
This policy ensures that the board certified sleep medicine physician remains at the center of care. National contractors that become an Approved OCST Supplier will be required to provide the entire raw data recording obtained from the sleep test for interpretation by the sleep physician. The board certified sleep medicine physician and the sleep team at the accredited sleep center will then manage the long-term care of the patient.
View a full list of national contractors that have earned the Approved OCST Supplier designation
Q. Does the recognition of Approved Out of Center Sleep Testing Suppliers represent a new accreditation program? A. No. As described in the AASM Out of Center Sleep Testing Policy Statement, the designation of Approved Out of Center Sleep Testing Suppliers is not an accreditation process, nor is it a formal endorsement.
Q. Does the Approved OCST Supplier designation replace the AASM’s Out of Center Sleep Testing Accreditation? A. No. Sleep facilities that perform out of center sleep testing (OCST) should continue to apply for OCST accreditation from the AASM after reviewing the Standards for Accreditation of Out of Center Sleep Testing (OCST) in Adult Patients.
Q. Who applies to the AASM for designation as an Approved OCST Supplier? A. Companies that apply for this designation are national contractors that offer to perform specific technical components of OCST for facilities that have earned AASM OCST accreditation.
Q. How can a company that is a national contractor apply for the Approved OCST Supplier designation? A. An application is available on the AASM website.
Q. What services are performed by national contractors that are an Approved OCST Supplier? A. A national contractor that is an Approved OCST Supplier is a company that will perform services that may include patient training and distribution of OCST equipment; patient support during testing; equipment retrieval, cleaning and maintenance; data scoring; and the secure transfer of test data. The specific services provided will be outlined in the contract agreement signed between the Approved OCST Supplier and the Accredited OCST Entity.
Q. Is it required or mandatory for national contractors that provide OCST services to apply for the Approved OCST Supplier designation? A. No. Applying for the Approved OCST Supplier designation is voluntary.
Q. Are AASM accredited sleep facilities required to contract with an Approved OCST Supplier? A. No. If an Accredited OCST Entity chooses to contract with a national contractor that is an independent provider of OCST services, it may select a company that has not earned the Approved OCST Supplier designation. However, the Accredited OCST Entity is responsible for ensuring that all OCST services performed on behalf of the facility are in compliance with the AASM Standards for Accreditation of Out of Center Sleep Testing (OCST) in Adult Patients.
Q. Why would an AASM accredited sleep center want to contract with an independent provider of OCST services? A. In some regions of the country, insurance carriers are directing the majority of patients who are suspected of having obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) to OCST instead of in-lab polysomnography. Similar policies are likely to be implemented across the country as insurers focus on cost containment and efficiency. As a result, sleep centers must evaluate their business model to determine how to integrate OCST most effectively. One option is to outsource the logistics of some OCST functions to a national contractor, which requires less capital investment and may provide the sleep center with greater flexibility.
Q. If an AASM accredited sleep center chooses to outsource some OCST functions to a national contractor, what is the benefit of contracting with a company that is an Approved OCST Provider? A. Selecting a national contractor that is an Approved OCST Supplier will give AASM accredited sleep centers confidence in knowing that the services performed by the independent contractor will meet AASM accreditation standards. Companies that apply for the Approved OCST Supplier designation must complete a thorough application process, which includes a site visit, to verify that its policies and procedures are consistent with the AASM standards for accreditation of OCST.
Q. Does the AASM arrange contract agreements between Approved OCST Suppliers and AASM accredited sleep facilities? A. No. Accredited OCST Entities and national contractors that are Approved OCST Suppliers are responsible for negotiating and arranging their own contract agreements.
Q. Does the Approved OCST Supplier score the sleep tests? A. Maybe. Sleep tests may be scored by either the national contractor that is an Approved OCST Supplier or the Accredited OCST Entity. Scoring responsibilities should be outlined in the contract agreement signed between the two parties.
Q. Does the national contractor that is an Approved OCST Supplier interpret the sleep tests? A. No. Sleep tests must be interpreted by the Accredited OCST Entity’s board certified sleep medicine physician. The national contractor that is an Approved OCST Supplier is required to provide the Accredited OCST Entity with the entire raw data recording for review and interpretation by the sleep physician.
Q. Does the national contractor that is an Approved OCST Supplier treat the patient? A. No. Once a diagnosis has been made by the Accredited OCST Entity’s board certified sleep medicine physician, then the sleep team at the Accredited OCST Entity is responsible for managing the long-term care of the patient.
Q. Who bills the payor: The Approved OCST Supplier or the Accredited OCST Entity? A. The Accredited OCST Entity should retain control of billing the payor, unless precluded by law or regulation. The national contractor that is an Approved OCST Supplier should bill the Accredited OCST Entity a pre-negotiated amount for the service provided, based on the contract agreement.
Q. What is the AASM position on OCST and in-lab polysomnography? A. The AASM position on diagnostic sleep testing for OSA is described in the Clinical Guideline for the Evaluation, Management and Long-term Care of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults: “A diagnosis of OSA must be established by an acceptable method (Standard). The two accepted methods of objective testing are in-laboratory polysomnography (PSG) and home testing with portable monitors (PM)…PSG is routinely indicated for the diagnosis of sleep related breathing disorders (Standard). PMs may be used to diagnose OSA when utilized as part of a comprehensive sleep evaluation in patients with a high pretest likelihood of moderate to severe OSA (Consensus). PM testing is not indicated in patients with major comorbid conditions including, but not limited to, moderate to severe pulmonary disease, neuromuscular disease, or congestive heart failure, or those suspected of having a comorbid sleep disorder (Consensus)…Clinical sleep evaluations using PM must be supervised by a practitioner with board certification in sleep medicine or an individual who fulfills the eligibility criteria for the sleep medicine certification examination (Consensus).”