CMS Releases Coverage Policy for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapy and Sleep Apnea

On March 13, 2008, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced in a Press Release that it has expanded Medicare coverage for continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices to include beneficiaries who have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). According to the Press Release, the expansion of coverage is the result of a March 13, 2008 final Decision Memo, which adds coverage for CPAP following a positive at-home sleep test.  Prior to CMS issuing the final Decision Memo, Medicare policy provided for CPAP coverage only for beneficiaries who had OSA diagnosed using a sleep test (called polysomnography) in an attended sleep laboratory setting.