Only the staff that are involved with the dental sleep medicine aspect of the facility need to be listed on this form. If a staff person has two or more roles, list the person under each of their job types and designate how hours per week they spend in each role. For example, if a staff member is both administrative staff and billing staff, list the individual in both sections of the staff form and approximate the average hours spent performing administrative duties and billing duties.
Practice management and billing credits, regardless if they are ADA CERP recognized or AGD PACE approved in dental sleep medicine, are unacceptable for DSM Facility Accreditation. Furthermore, ADA or AGD CE transcripts are insufficient verification that the educational course was in dental sleep medicine. Actual CE verification letters or certificates from the course provider are required to meet this standard. The documentation must clearly show that the courses were science-based education in dental sleep medicine. The dental director must also be the attendee of a course and not the instructor.
Auxiliary staff education has to be earned specifically in either sleep medicine or dental sleep medicine; general dentistry or hygienist education is unacceptable.
Include the names, job descriptions, CE requirements, training, responsibilities, certifications and licensures for all dental sleep medicine staff, including the dental director. Include mention that the dental director must maintain a current dental license.
Each facility must list its specific protocol in detail as used in that facility and it must be consistent with the AASM Practice Parameters and AADSM Treatment Protocol. If the facility refers a patient back to the sleep center for an overnight follow-up study, their titration protocol should include details pertaining to how the titration is performed. For example, is the unattended study provided by the dental sleep medicine (DSM) facility, physician, or a third party? If the DSM facility provides the study equipment, what is the specific protocol used? What instructions are provided to the patient and by whom? When an overnight study is ordered, is it ordered by the DSM facility or physician? If ordered by the DSM facility, what instructions are provided to the sleep center? Is the oral appliance titrated during the overnight study?
Facilities must survey a minimum of 80% of their patients to evaluate patient satisfaction, oral appliance compliance and billing practices. Facilities also must have a mechanism in place which allows them to track the percentage of patients they have surveyed on a quarterly basis and determine if their goals have been met for the quarter. Facilities will be required to show proof of this data at the time of their virtual site visit. A copy of the most recent quarter’s quality assurance report must be included with the application for Dental Sleep Medicine Facility Accreditation.