title: Comparison of American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) versus Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) polysomnography (PSG) scoring rules on AHI and eligibility for continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an important clinical condition. Eligibility for treatment usually depends on disease severity, measured as the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), equal to the sum of apneas plus hypopneas per hour of sleep. There is divergence on scoring rules for hypopneas between the recommendations of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Center for Medicare Services (CMS), the latter being more restrictive. Thus, patients could be eligible for treatment under AASM rules, but not under CMS rules.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sleep laboratory records of 112 consecutive patients were reviewed (85 < 65, 27 ≥ 65 years old). AHI was calculated both by AASM and by CMS criteria. Information on demographics, and important comorbidities, was also reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  AHI was lower in younger patients using CMS criteria. However, differences in AHI using the two sets of criteria were not significantly different in the older patients. Incorporating all criteria for eligibility (severity, presence of certain comorbid conditions) for treatment, we found that fewer younger patients would be eligible using CMS criteria, but among the older patients, eligibility for treatment was the same whether AASM or CMS criteria were used.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Use of CMS criteria for scoring hypopneas results in lower estimates of OSA severity, with fewer younger patients eligible for treatment. However, among Medicare age patients, the rate of treatment eligibility was the same whether AASM or CMS scoring rules were used.
authors.affiliation: Sleep Disorders Center, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Maryland, 100 N Greene Street, 2nd Floor, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.|Department of Psychiatry, David Geffen UCLA School of Medicine, West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 11301 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90073, USA.
authors.forename: Arkady
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Korotinsky
authors.affiliation: Sleep Disorders Center, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Maryland, 100 N Greene Street, 2nd Floor, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
authors.forename: Samson Z
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Assefa
authors.affiliation: Sleep Disorders Center, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Maryland, 100 N Greene Street, 2nd Floor, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
authors.forename: Montserrat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diaz-Abad
authors.affiliation: Sleep Disorders Center, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Maryland, 100 N Greene Street, 2nd Floor, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
authors.forename: Emerson M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Wickwire
authors.affiliation: Sleep Disorders Center, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Maryland, 100 N Greene Street, 2nd Floor, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA. sscharf@medicine.umaryland.edu.
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Scharf
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001143:Arousal; D014487:Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.; D045422:Continuous Positive Airway Pressure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004608:Eligibility Determination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D017286:Polysomnography / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012123:Pulmonary Ventilation; D012107:Research Design; D020182:Sleep Apnea, Central / Q000145:classification* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000145:classification* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D056508:Sleep Medicine Specialty; D012955:Societies, Medical; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen
keywords: American Academy of Sleep Medicine; Centers for Medicare Services; Hypopnea criteria; Sleep apnea