Home Sleep Tests (HST)
- Home sleep tests (HSTs) are tests that are done in the convenience of the patients’ own home to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). HSTs are more comfortable, less expensive, and less intrusive for the patient compared to in lab polysomnography studies. Patients do not have to wait for an overnight appointment at a sleep lab and results are generally available faster. The results are interpreted by a sleep specialist. It is the preferred initial test for OSA in uncomplicated cases.
Contraindications or complicated cases include but are not limited to:
- Moderate to severe pulmonary disease (i.e severe COPD, known hypoventilation) or use of supplemental oxygen during sleep
- History of cardiovascular disease(i.e stroke, congestive heart failure, pacemaker with atrial pacing or VVI mode without intrinsic sinus rhythm)
- Neurodegenerative or neuromuscular diseases
- Other disruptive sleep behaviors or parasomnias
- BMI > 40
Please use clinical judgment and consider patients’ histories and comorbidities before ordering HSTs. HSTs are used only to diagnose OSA. They are not used to diagnose other sleep disorders. For complicated cases, refer patients to polysomnography/sleep lab studies.
Ordering a HSAT:
- Once in patient’s chart, type “home sleep test” (or search by CPT code: 95800) in orders and click “WatchPAT home sleep study”
- In comments section, include 2 or more signs and symptoms related to patient’s condition for insurance approval (think “STOP-BANG”)
- Patient will receive a call from HST team to schedule a pick-up or delivery of a HSAT and discuss out-of-pocket costs
- If there is strong suspicion for OSA, we highly recommend concurrently ordering a sleep medicine referral. This can decrease wait time between HST and a sleep medicine appointment
Insurance:
- Mount Sinai only has the WatchPAT HST. Most insurances will cover WatchPAT, although some will require authorization
- For both in lab and home sleep testing orders, the sleep center will take care of authorization and contact the ordering provider if the insurance denies coverage
- See below for a full list of insurance and respective coverage
Retrieving the Results
- Once results are available, the sleep specialist will cc the results to the ordering provider’s inbox
- Results can also be seen in “Letters” tab under chart review in Epic for full interpretation
Questions?
For patient questions about scheduling, they can call (212) 481-1818
For provider questions, they can message the “sleep study scheduling” pool (ID: 210816401) on EPIC
List of insurance and respective coverage
