Sleep group asks Oklahoma to reconsider dumping CPAP coverage
By HME News Staff
Updated Wed May 25, 2016
OKLAHOMA CITY - The American Academy of Sleep Medicine is urging Oklahoma Medicaid program to reinstate coverage for sleep studies and CPAP devices for adult patients. Although the Oklahoma Health Care Authority has indicated it recognizes the benefits of sleep therapy, it cited a severe budget crisis in its decision to eliminate coverage for what it considers “optional” services, according to a press release from AASM. “These cuts will lead to increased medical expenses over time because they make it impossible to diagnose and effectively treat Medicaid patients who have obstructive sleep apnea and other sleep disorders including narcolepsy, REM sleep behavior disorder, and central sleep apnea,” says Vikas Jain, MD, a board-certified sleep medicine physician who practices in Oklahoma City, in the release.
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