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Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Know These 4 Sleep Monitoring Devices

Published on Sun Nov 25, 2012

Having a handle on the four types of sleep monitoring devices can help you finesse your claims for these services. Marvel J. Hammer, RN, CPC, CCS-P, PCS, ACS-PM, CHCO, owner of MJH Consulting in Denver, CO shares what these devices are and what these are used for.
    • Type I devices: used for in-laboratory, technician-attended overnight polysomnography; these devices are not used for portable monitoring.
 
    • Type II devices: can record the same variables as Type I devices; the major difference from Type I device is they can be used outside of the sleep lab and a technologist is not present during the recording.
 
    • Type III devices: typically measure four physiologic variables, including two respiratory variables (e.g., respiratory movement and airflow), a cardiac variable (e.g., heart rate or an ECG), and O2 saturation via pulse oximetry; Sleep staging is typically not measured with type III devices and a technologist is not present during the recording.
 
  • Type IV devices are defined differently by different organizations; The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) defines Type IV monitoring devices as devices that record 1 or 2 variables (eg,O2 saturation and airflow), whereas CMS guidelines require Type IV devices to measure 3 variables. For both organizations, a technologist is not present during the recording.
  "It is particularly important to know the type of device / testing that was performed, as it certainly has implications for billing home sleep testing (HST) to MCR," says Hammer. "SCOPER is a new classification system proposed for portable monitoring devices. The acronym is defined as Sleep, Cardiovascular, Oximetry, Position, Effort and Respiration."

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