AUGUSTA, Maine - Some sleep therapists in Maine want a separate state licensing law and regulatory board to certify and license sleep therapists. Currently they fall under the respiratory therapists board.
Rep. Bob Nutting, a Republican from Oakland, is sponsoring legislation to create the new medical occupation under state law.
"They believe that their endeavor is enough different such that they should have their own board, they should have their own set of rules, their own fee schedule and be licensed by the state for accountability and any number of other reasons," Nutting says.
A few states, including Oregon and Tennessee, have adopted separate licensing boards for sleep therapists. In some states there have been battles in the legislature between respiratory therapists and sleep therapists over licensing issues.
Nutting says the profession is becoming more complex and believes it needs comprehensive standards in order to meet insurance company requirements for reimbursement.
