Blue Cross Blue Shield (Preferred Provider) Sleep Study
SleepSomatics is a preferred provider for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, Blue Cross Blue Shield HealthSelect, Blue Cross Blue Shield City of Austin, Blue Cross Blue Shield University of Texas, Texas Teachers Retirement System, and most all other Blue Cross Blue Shield plans. We accept new home sleep testing patients with BCBS TX PPO without physician referral. SleepSomatics accepts most Blue Cross Blue Shield out-of-state health plans. We accept many out-of-state BCBS PPO policies without physician referral. You may fill out our online form here to contact SleepSomatics for your policy's acceptance, coverage and cost for no-contact sleep testing at home.
Patients with HMO policies may have their physician fax a referral to 512-323-9254, and our business office will contact you to confirm if we accept your policy for no-contact home sleep testing.
What is a home sleep study?
Home sleep testing (or a home sleep study) is a safe, non-invasive, ‘no-contact’ medical test for evaluating sleep apnea, snoring, and sleep-disordered breathing disturbances. Three to five sensors are self-administered in the home setting over several nights of testing.
DOES health insurance cover A home sleep study?
Health insurance policies vary. There are thousands of different health coverage conditions, limitations and restrictions. Increasingly, more health insurances (such as United Healthcare, Humana, Aetna, Cigna, and Blue Cross Blue Shield) contain coverage rationale that require a home sleep study for evidence-based testing for suspected sleep apnea. Fill this form out to request a verification of insurance benefits for sleep testing by SleepSomatics.
What is the difference between A SLEEP STUDY AT HOME VS. AT THE SLEEP LAB?
A comprehensive multi-night home sleep study provides patients with a ‘no-contact,’ at-home sleep study that limits unnecessary exposure when testing for sleep apnea. SleepSomatics comprehensive home sleep study uses only three to five (3 to 5) sensors that you self-administer in the privacy of your own home. These sensors are managed by you throughout testing, and as a result, your movement and sleep position are less restricted than with an in-lab sleep study. No-contact home sleep testing is performed in the privacy of your own home, and there is no video or audio monitoring while you sleep in the comfort of your bedroom.
Home sleep studies are increasingly the standard testing protocol for common disorders like sleep apnea, snoring, and hypoxia (oxygen loss). An in-lab sleep study (or polysomnography) is a completely different experience from sleep testing that you do at home. Click here for videos and pictures comparing an in-lab sleep study and at-home sleep study. In-lab sleep studies are increasingly less common and only done in certain pre-qualified cases that involve rarer neurological disorders like epilepsy and narcolepsy.
Health insurance carriers apply coverage conditions and limitations for sleep related diagnostics that result in reduced coverage and benefits. Polysomnography must satisfy the insurance's own medical policy for coverage consideration. Most health insurance medical policies contain coverage rationale that require home sleep testing for evaluating adults with suspected sleep disordered breathing or obstructive sleep apnea. The vast majority of health plans strictly limit coverage for attended polysomnography (sleep studies performed in the sleep lab). Patients seeking an in-lab sleep study should first verify if their health insurance plan limits coverage via it's medical policy rationale, conditions or limitations. Insurance health plans that contain conditions limiting coverage may require or result in your having to pay out of pocket for an attended polysomnogram sleep study at the sleep lab. The out-of-pocket expense for full-contact sleep studies performed in the sleep lab is double the cost as compared to the cost of safe, no-contact home sleep testing.
Attended polysomnography uses approximately twenty-five (25) sensors taped or attached to your body from the top of your head down to your legs. These sensors are administered by a registered sleep technologist at the sleep lab who must be in close contact with your person throughout the study setup and periodically throughout your sleep study in the sleep lab. Your movement and sleep position may be restricted by these twenty-five (25) sensors, and the sleep technologist may need to periodically assist you in getting out of bed throughout the study for reapplication of sensors lost due to excess movement. While you sleep, the sleep technologist will be monitoring your sensors as well as observing your sleep patterns by video and audio monitoring.