Study Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is prevalent among older adults. Although treatment with positive airway pressure (PAP) lowers subsequent morbidity, PAP adherence is inconsistent. Socioeconomic disparities have been observed in OSA treatment, but regional differences in OSA care are unknown. This study examined geographic variations in PAP treatment and adherence among older Americans. Methods: This study utilized a representative 5% sample of all Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged 65+ years. An OSA diagnosis, treatment, and PAP adherence were confirmed with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, HCPCS (Health Care Common Procedure Coding System) codes, and ≥2 HCPCS claims for PAP supplies respectively. Descriptive statistics were used to examine proportions of Medicare beneficiaries who obtained and adhered to PAP. Maps described the proportion of treated and adherent beneficiaries by state and hospital referral region. Results: For state-level data, PAP treatment and adherence proportions among beneficiaries with an OSA diagnosis ranged between 54-87% and 59-81%, respectively. Proportions of treated patients were higher in Midwest states (>80%), in comparison to Northwest, Northeast, and Southern states (<73%). Southern states and California had lowest proportions of PAP adherence (<70%). Within-state variability in treatment patterns were apparent along the East and West coasts. Correlations of PAP treatment and adherence proportions were low in Washington, DC, New York, and New Jersey. Discordant treatment and adherence proportions were observed in Alabama and Mississippi. Conclusions: Significant state-level and regional disparities of PAP treatment and adherence among Medicare beneficiaries with OSA suggest gaps in delivery of OSA care for older Americans.

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Introduction Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common in pregnant women and is a risk factor for poor perinatal outcomes. The Berlin Questionnaire (BQ) is a validated OSA screening tool that is often used in pregnancy. However, it performs poorly in this population, likely attributed to the scoring paradigm that primarily identifies obesity. Moreover, the associations between the BQ and pregnancy outcomes are often those same outcomes that are obesity-related. Therefore, this study examined associations between each of the three BQ domains, independently and jointly, in relation to gestational diabetes (GDM) and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP). Methods Pregnant third-trimester women aged at least 18 years with a single fetus were recruited from a tertiary medical center. All women completed the BQ, which includes three domains: snoring; sleepiness; and obesity/high blood pressure (BMI/BP). The latter domain was further examined as two separate sub-domains: obesity or chronic hypertension. A positive response in 2-of-3 domains identifies high OSA risk. Medical records were accessed for diagnoses of GDM and HDP. Results Of 1,588 women, 44% had a positive BQ. Women with positive domains of snoring exclusively, sleepiness exclusively, or their combination did not have an increased risk of GDM or HDP. However, women without snoring or sleepiness, but with a positive score on the BMI/BP domain had increased odds of GDM (OR 2.0, 95%CI 1.3–3.3) and HDP (OR 2.9, 95%CI 1.6–5.5). Any positive score in domain combinations that included BMI/BP had increased odds of GDM and HDP compared with negative scores in all domains. A positive score in BMI/BP-alone, BMI/BP-and-sleepiness, BMI/BP-and-snoring, and an intersection of all three domains, had increased HDP odds compared with controls: OR 2.9 (95%CI 1.6–5.5), OR 2.2 (95%CI 1.1–4.4), OR 2.9 (95%CI 1.5–5.7), and OR 4.6 (95%CI 2.6–8.6), respectively. Women absent of positive BMI/BP domain but with a positive score in the other two domains (or their combination) had similar odds of GDM and HDP as controls. Conclusion The poor performance of the BQ in screening for OSA risk in pregnant women may be attributed to its predominant reliance on identification of obesity. Support (if any) NIH NHLBIHL089918

Introduction Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is prevalent and consequential among older adults. Positive airway pressure (PAP) is likely to reduce associated morbidity, but adherence is inconsistent. Regional treatment variations that may reflect addressable differences in care are not sufficiently studied. We examined geographic variations in PAP treatment among older US adults. Methods A representative 5% sample of all Medicare beneficiaries, age 65+, enrolled in fee-for-service program in 2013 was analyzed. OSA diagnosis was defined by ICD-9 codes. PAP treatment was identified by HCPCS codes. Treatment adherence was defined as ≥2 HCPCS claims for PAP supplies on separate months. We examined state-specific proportions of Medicare beneficiaries with OSA who obtained PAP and showed adherence. Maps were created to represent state-specific proportions of beneficiaries who were treated and adherent, by quantiles. To examine more granular regional variations, we created maps representing hospital referral region (HRR)-specific proportions of treated among diagnosed, and adherent among treated. Scatterplots were used to identify the relationship between proportions of PAP treatment and adherence, by state. Results For the state-level data, PAP treatment and adherence rates were between 54%-87% and 59%-81%, respectively. Midwest states had higher CPAP treatment proportions (&gt;80%), while Northeast, Southwest and Southern states had CPAP treatment rates &lt;73%. State-level CPAP adherence showed similar patterns, with lowest rates in southern states and California (&lt;70%). Within-state variability of treatment patterns were observed, especially along the east and the west coasts. A scatterplot revealed that state-level CPAP treatment and adherence rates were linearly correlated, with Washington D.C., NY and NJ ranked lowest. In contrast, MT, ND and VT had the highest treatment and adherence rates. Conclusion These data show substantial state-level and regional variability of CPAP treatment and adherence among Medicare beneficiaries. Some geographic areas may merit prioritization in efforts to improve OSA treatment and adherence. Support This study was supported by The American Sleep Medicine Foundation Strategic Research Award 115-SR-15