Sleep Apnea
There have been a lot of
changes that have taken effect this year with respect for screening for sleep
apnea, and some of you have personally seen it. So I am going to take this
opportunity to talk about the changes and the options moving forward.
First, the new requirements
for DOT physicals. There are 3 things that are looked at for sleep apnea, blood
pressure, neck size, and BMI.
Blood pressure is the first and it is the same standard to pass a physical, so
no real changes or surprises there. Neck size is new, and for males a neck size
of 17 or females size 16 is a trigger. BMI,
or body mass index, is a measure of relative weight based on the individual’s
mass and height. BMI 35 or greater
is also a trigger. If two of the three triggers are above the tolerance, the
doctors are only allowed to give you 3 months of medical clearance. I also want
you to understand if one doctor does this it is now going into a database and
every other doctor will have access to this and won’t pass you without taking
the required action. So there is no way to circumvent the system.
The required actions can be
to do a sleep study or obtain an AHI
score. The AHI score is the first
step and could possibly be the only step needed. The score is calculated with a
one night sleep study. If that score is within range you can get your year long
physical, but if it is not you will then be required to take a full sleep
study.
To obtain your one night
score, you will have to have your primary care physician refer you to Sleep
Med, and the test runs about $300. 90% of insurance coverage covers this test
and your out of pocket cost could be almost nothing. If you don’t have a
primary care, State Avenue
has one that will act as your primary care for an $80 office visit, and then
refer you. This one night sleep study will get you results within 48 hours and
indicate whether you need a full sleep study or not.
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