Tag: CPAP
Study highlights risk of sleep apnea, power of CPAP therapy
April 4, 2025Liz Beaulieu, Editor
SAN DIEGO – A new Resmed-supported study showing sleep apnea patients on CPAP therapy live longer will further fuel a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to increase awareness, says Carlos Nunez, M.D.
The study, published in March in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, found that sleep apnea patients on CPAP therapy have a 37% lower risk of dying from any cause compared to patients not on therapy and a 55% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
“Not...
Resmed drives awareness
March 28, 2025Liz Beaulieu, Editor
SAN DIEGO – A big reason for Resmed’s recently announced rebrand is to reflect its increased direct-to-consumer engagement on obstructive sleep apnea and CPAP therapy. Chief Marketing Officer Katrin Pucknat spoke with HME News about what that means for the company’s provider customers.
HME News: How has Resmed increased its direct-to-consumer engagement and why is this something the company is increasingly focused on? What have been the preliminary results of that engagement?
Katrin...
In brief: Aetna pauses CPAP change, FDA warns Dexcom, Owens & Minor launches offering
March 28, 2025HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – Aetna has put a proposed change on hold for review after AAHomecare asked the insurer to reconsider using certain adherence codes that can only be billed by clinicians not DME providers.
The proposed change, announced in January, stated: “Beginning April 1, 2025, we’ll no longer reimburse the CPAP device or the supplies unless adherence to positive airway pressure therapy is documented using adherence codes G8851, G8854 and G8855 on the claim.”
“On...
Aetna pauses CPAP change
March 27, 2025HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – Aetna has put a proposed change on hold for review after AAHomecare asked the insurer to reconsider using certain adherence codes that can only be billed by clinicians not DME providers.
The proposed change, announced in January, stated: “Beginning April 1, 2025, we’ll no longer reimburse the CPAP device or the supplies unless adherence to positive airway pressure therapy is documented using adherence codes G8851, G8854 and G8855 on the claim.”
“On...
Dr. Watson: It pays to help patients take that final step
March 21, 2025Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
MADISON, Wis. – When patients receive an obstructive sleep apnea diagnosis but don’t initiate successful PAP therapy, that creates an opportunity cost across the health care continuum, says Nathaniel Watson, MD, chief medical officer at EnsoData.
“Once somebody's gotten all the way to that point, it's actually really important to get them to be adherent to their treatment,” he said. “To lose out on that last little step is problematic because of all...
In brief: AAH asks for exemption, CPAP therapy saves lives, Cigna closes MA sale
March 21, 2025HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – AAHomecare has asked the Trump Administration to exclude home medical equipment and supplies from current and proposed tariffs.
The administration in early March delayed proposed 25% tariff increases on products covered under the 2020 United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) until April. These potential new tariffs would join 20% tariffs on products from China that are already in effect.
Over the last two months, AAHomecare has engaged Capitol Hill on the need to exempt...
ResMed moves to address ‘educational gap’ on PAP devices, GLP-1s
January 31, 2025Liz Beaulieu, Editor
SAN DIEGO – In the wake of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of Zepbound to treat moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, ResMed is ramping up its education to high-volume prescribers of GLP-1 drugs to reiterate that PAP therapy remains the gold standard.
The FDA announced in late December that it had approved Eli Lilly's Zepbound (tirzepatide) for the treatment of moderate to severe OSA in adults with obesity. It’s approved for use in combination...
Study: PAP adherence saves money
January 29, 2025HME News Staff
BALTIMORE, Md. – Medicare beneficiaries with common chronic health conditions who complied with PAP therapy saw reduced costs, according to a new study. The study, led by Emerson M. Wickwire, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, along with researchers from EnsoData and Santa Barbara Actuaries, found 45% of beneficiaries in the sample were adherent to PAP, 10% were non-adherent, and 44% did not...
Sleep & respiratory: Set clear expectations
January 9, 2025Colleen Lance
Q. With the rapid changes in respiratory and sleep medicine, what can an HME provider expect from their manufacturing partners?
A. HME companies may need reassessment of their partnerships with manufacturers. Here’s a framework to guide this process:
Quality & compliance
Ensure manufacturing partners comply with FDA, ISO and CE standards. Review FDA 510K status for any restrictions or outstanding recalls. Robust quality assessment and post-market surveillance...
Nationwide Medical engages outside investor
January 3, 2025Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
CALABASAS, Calif. – Nationwide Medical plans to use a recent investment to strengthen its bench as it seeks to "compete at a higher level” in the sleep and respiratory space, says CEO David Siegel.
The company has already lined up several new hires for the first quarter of 2025 and will also look at technology upgrades to support and increase the efficiency of its operations and sales staff – a model that has worked for the company since its inception, says Siegel.
“One...