AASM urges everlasting telehealth protection for improved sleep care

The American Academy of Sleep Drugs has issued a brand new place assertion advocating for everlasting telehealth protection, emphasizing its important position in offering high-quality, patient-centered care for people with sleep problems.

The place assertion, revealed as an accepted paper within the Journal of Scientific Sleep Drugs, comes at a vital turning level as present telehealth flexibilities carried out by the Facilities for Medicare and Medicaid Companies in response to the COVID-19 public well being emergency are set to run out this month. The AASM emphasizes that everlasting protection with enough reimbursement is important for the long-term acceptance and enlargement of telehealth companies. 

Sleep drugs is uniquely suited to telehealth supply as a consequence of restricted supplier entry, security considerations with sleepy sufferers, and the supply of distant affected person monitoring for therapy administration. The minimal want for repeated bodily examinations in sleep drugs makes it an excellent discipline for telehealth implementation.” 

Dr. Kunwar Praveen Vohra, lead creator and member of the AASM Advocacy Committee

Analysis demonstrates that digitally delivered care is equally efficient in bettering sleep high quality, and it might advance well being fairness, additional reinforcing the necessity for everlasting protection. As an illustration, proof reveals that telehealth-supported therapies, comparable to cognitive behavioral remedy for insomnia, can enhance each affected person outcomes and therapy adherence when performed nearly. 

Moreover, telehealth integration tackles essential well being care challenges by increasing affected person entry, boosting clinician effectivity, and enhancing affected person security. 

“Telehealth eliminates the necessity for sleepy sufferers to drive to appointments, lowering crash dangers whereas facilitating entry to take care of underserved populations,” Vohra mentioned. “That is significantly necessary for sufferers with circumstances like sleep apnea and narcolepsy who expertise extreme daytime sleepiness.” 

The AASM requires stakeholders to deal with a number of key areas to optimize telehealth companies, together with fee fashions, interstate care rules, expertise entry, and prescribing practices. The group emphasizes the significance of fee parity between audiovisual and in-office visits to make sure monetary viability. 

To assist the continued development of sleep telehealth companies, the AASM recommends increasing analysis to judge outcomes, entry to care, cost-effectiveness, and optimum integration into scientific follow. The group additionally emphasizes the necessity for elevated entry to broadband networks, significantly in rural areas, to make sure telehealth is accessible and secure for all sufferers. 

Anybody who has a sleep downside can use the AASM’s sleep middle listing to get assist from the sleep group at an accredited sleep middle.