PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Karin Gardner Johnson
AU  - Marc Raphaelson
TI  - Fifteen Patients Who Can Be Helped by Medicare
AID  - 10.1212/CPJ.0000000000200118
DP  - 2023 Feb 01
TA  - Neurology: Clinical Practice
PG  - e200118
VI  - 13
IP  - 1
4099  - http://cp.neurology.org/content/13/1/e200118.short
4100  - http://cp.neurology.org/content/13/1/e200118.full
AB  - Insurance coverage policies define the diagnostic criteria and adherence requirements for patients to qualify for initial and ongoing therapy with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment, the most complete therapy for obstructive sleep apnea. Unfortunately, a number of patients who use CPAP and benefit from treatment fail to meet these requirements. We present 15 patients who fail to meet Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) criteria, highlighting policies that do not support patient care. Finally, we review expert panel recommendations to improve CMS policies, and we suggest ways that physicians can better support CPAP access within the current regulatory restrictions.