RPSGT Industry Regulations & Compliance 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which AASM accreditation requirement specifies the minimum number of in-laboratory PSG studies a sleep center must perform annually?
- There is no minimum annual study volume requirement (Correct answer)
- At least 100 studies per year
- At least 50 studies per year
- At least 200 studies per year
Correct answer: There is no minimum annual study volume requirement
AASM accreditation standards focus on quality, personnel qualifications, and facility criteria rather than mandating a minimum annual study volume.
Question 2: A sleep technologist discovers that a colleague improperly accessed a patient's PSG record out of personal curiosity. Under HIPAA, this is classified as:
- An incidental disclosure
- A permitted use for treatment purposes
- A breach of unsecured PHI requiring investigation (Correct answer)
- A required disclosure to law enforcement
Correct answer: A breach of unsecured PHI requiring investigation
Unauthorized access to PHI for non-work-related purposes constitutes a potential breach that must be investigated under the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule.
Question 3: State licensure laws for polysomnographic technologists are primarily governed by:
- The BRPT at the federal level
- Individual state legislatures and licensing boards (Correct answer)
- CMS through Medicare conditions
- The AASM accreditation body
Correct answer: Individual state legislatures and licensing boards
Polysomnographic technologist licensure is regulated at the state level, and requirements vary significantly from state to state.
Question 4: The AASM's MSLT and MWT guidelines are considered 'practice parameters.' This means they are:
- Legally binding federal regulations
- Evidence-based standards recommended for clinical practice (Correct answer)
- Insurance billing requirements
- Only applicable to academic medical centers
Correct answer: Evidence-based standards recommended for clinical practice
AASM practice parameters are evidence-based clinical recommendations developed to guide, but not legally mandate, clinical decision-making.
Question 5: Which regulatory requirement mandates that sleep labs maintain electrical safety standards and perform equipment checks to prevent patient injury?
- HIPAA Security Rule
- OSHA Electrical Safety Standard (29 CFR 1910.303) (Correct answer)
- ADA Title III
- CMS Interpretive Guidelines §482.13
Correct answer: OSHA Electrical Safety Standard (29 CFR 1910.303)
OSHA's electrical safety standards require employers to ensure that electrical equipment used in the workplace is maintained to prevent hazards.
Question 6: A sleep center's Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP) must be provided to patients:
- Only upon written request
- At the first service encounter, with a good-faith effort to obtain acknowledgment (Correct answer)
- Annually regardless of service encounters
- Only when a new HIPAA authorization is required
Correct answer: At the first service encounter, with a good-faith effort to obtain acknowledgment
HIPAA requires covered entities to provide the NPP to patients at the first point of service and make a good-faith effort to obtain written acknowledgment.
Question 7: Under CMS regulations, what is the required retention period for patient medical records in most states for adult patients?
- 3 years from date of service
- 5 years from date of service
- 6 years from date of service or until the patient's 21st birthday, whichever is later (Correct answer)
- 10 years from date of service
Correct answer: 6 years from date of service or until the patient's 21st birthday, whichever is later
CMS requires records to be retained for 6 years from creation or last effective date, and many states add longer requirements for minors.
RPSGT Industry Regulations & Compliance 3
Which AASM accreditation requirement specifies the minimum number of in-laboratory PSG studies a sleep center must perform annually?