Sleep isn’t a luxury, it’s a health necessity. Yet, up to 70 million adults have sleep disorders. One in three people are walking around exhausted, unaware that sleep disorders are quietly undermining their well-being. Traditionally, diagnosing sleep disorders meant a trip to the sleep lab. Today, at home sleep monitoring is changing that, giving people access to sleep insights from their own bed.
What is at home sleep monitoring, how does it work, and what role does it play in value-based care initiatives? This article will provide and overview of at home sleep monitoring for you.
What Is Home Sleep Monitoring?
At home sleep monitoring refers to the use of portable devices and digital health tools that track sleep patterns, behaviors, and physiological signals while a person sleeps at home. These tests offer an alternative to polysomnography, which is traditional in-lab sleep studies. This shift is making sleep evaluation more accessible, efficient, and cost-effective.
Types of Devices Used for Home Sleep Monitoring
Advancements in technology have expanded the types of tools available for monitoring sleep at home.It’s important to distinguish between consumer-grade sleep tracking devices and clinical-grade sleep monitoring devices, as not all devices marketed for sleep provide medically actionable data. The following section explains the differences bewtween consumer devices and FDA-cleared home sleep monitoring devices.
What Does Research Say?
Recent studies underscore the growing reliability of at home sleep monitoring, particularly for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea. A study published in Springer Nature evaluated home sleep apnea testing against traditional in-lab polysomnography to determine its accuracy. The researchers found that were no significant differences between home and lab settings in key areas like total sleep time, sleep latency, and sleep efficiency.
Even the distribution of sleep stages was similar in both environments. The researchers concluded that home sleep monitoring correlates well with the laboratory “gold standard” and is a viable option for diagnosing OSA in selected patients. Johns Hopkins Medicine notes that while at-home tests are particularly effective for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea, they may not detect other, more complex sleep disorders. This is an important distinction for providers and patients alike.
Home Sleep Monitoring and Cost Savings
At home sleep monitoring aligns with value-based care initiatives and models that reward better health outcomes instead of volume of services delivered. Undiagnosed sleep apnea, insomnia, and circadian rhythm disorders increase the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and depression. By identifying these issues early, providers can intervene before complications arise.
Lower Costs and Improved Access
Home testing bypasses the expensive, time-consuming process of lab-based sleep studies. In addition to its clinical benefits, remote monitoring with a CPAP machine (continuous positive airway pressure) for sleep disorders is reimbursable under Medicare with RPM CPT billing codes. This allows sleep clinics to be reimbursed for the work they are doing, such as CPAP troubleshooting and patient coaching. For practices with a large Medicare population, this reimbursement stream creates an opportunity to deliver consistent care without absorbing the full financial burden.
Home sleep monitoring is also gaining traction in value-based care models, where the focus is on preventive care, improving outcomes, and reducing long-term costs. Private payers are increasingly coming on board as well, though coverage varies.
Employee Health and Productivity
Forward-thinking employers are adding sleep monitoring to their health benefits. Circadian Health, a company specializing in remote sleep monitoring, removes the typical months-long diagnosis and treatment timeline down to under 30 days. They ship connected devices directly to patients, offer virtual appointments, and ensure rapid initiation of treatment like CPAP therapy, while providing ongoing remote monitoring.
Care companies like Circadian Health work with employers and payers to improve sleep health, reduce absenteeism, and enhance productivity. Given that untreated sleep apnea alone costs employers billions annually in lost productivity, these services and solutions can make smart business sense.
Understanding At Home Sleep Monitoring
Home sleep monitoring allows patients to be monitored from a distance. CPAP machines are covered under RPM billing codes and are increasingly being used for value-based care initiatives. By identifying sleep disorders early, supporting patient adherence, and lowering the cost of care, at home sleep monitoring is helping shift the focus to better health outcomes and a better night’s sleep. If your organization is looking to support employee health or explore value-based sleep care solutions, companies like Circadian Care are paving the way.
