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The Past Is Prologue: The Future of Sleep Medicine

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Abstract

The field of sleep medicine has gone through tremendous growth and development over a short period of time, culminating in recognition of the field as an independent medical subspecialty by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). However, the fellowship training requirement that is now mandatory for sleep medicine board certification eligibility has had the unintended consequence of restricting the influx of young physicians to the field. In response to the potential workforce shortage confronting the field of sleep medicine, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) board of directors has developed a comprehensive plan to strengthen the field by growing sleep fellowship programs, exploring novel sleep medicine training opportunities, creating and fostering the sleep team (with special emphasis on engagement of primary care providers), embracing the role of consumer sleep technologies, and expanding the reach of sleep specialists through telemedicine. The AASM plans summarized in this special article represent efforts to confront serious workforce challenges and turn them into opportunities that will improve the health of both our patients and our field.

Citation:

Watson NF, Rosen IM, Chervin RD, Board of Directors of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The past is prologue: the future of sleep medicine. J Clin Sleep Med. 2017;13(1):127–135.

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Abbreviations

AASM:

American Academy of Sleep Medicine

ABIM:

American Board of Internal Medicine

ABMS:

American Board of Medical Specialties

ABPN:

American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

ABSM:

American Board of Sleep Medicine

ACGME:

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

ACP:

American College of Physicians

APM:

Advanced Alternative Payment Model

APRN:

advanced practice registered nurse

ASMF:

American Sleep Medicine Foundation

A-STEP:

Accredited Sleep Technologist Education Program

BCSMP:

board-certified sleep medicine physician

CBT-I:

cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia

CMS:

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

FMCSA:

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

GME:

graduate medical education

HHS:

Department of Health and Human Services

HSAT:

home sleep apnea testing

IMIG:

internal medicine interest group

MACRA:

Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015

MBA:

master of business administration

MIPS:

Merit-Based Incentive Payment System

NRMP:

National Resident Matching Program

OSA:

obstructive sleep apnea

PA:

physician assistant

PAP:

positive airway pressure

PCP:

primary care provider

RST:

registered sleep technologist

SAFER:

Sleep, Alertness and Fatigue Education in Residency

SIGNS:

special interest group of the neurology section

SMFTC:

Sleep Medicine Fellowship Training Committee

SMIG:

sleep medicine interest group

VA:

Veterans Affairs

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors are grateful to Thomas Heffron, AASM Director of Communications, for his editorial assistance.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Darien, IL, USA

    Nathaniel F. Watson MD, MSc, FAASM, Ilene M. Rosen MD, MSc, FAASM & Ronald D. Chervin MD, MS, FAASM

Authors
  1. Nathaniel F. Watson MD, MSc, FAASM
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  2. Ilene M. Rosen MD, MSc, FAASM
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  3. Ronald D. Chervin MD, MS, FAASM
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Consortia

on behalf of the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nathaniel F. Watson MD, MSc, FAASM.

Additional information

Address correspondence to: Nathaniel F. Watson, MD, MSc, University of Washington Medicine Sleep Center, Box 359803, 325 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104-2499; Email: nwatson@uw.edu

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Watson, N., Rosen, I., Chervin, R. et al. The Past Is Prologue: The Future of Sleep Medicine. J Clin Sleep Med 13, 127–135 (2017). https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.6406

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