#the shift report

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RPSGT Recertification in 2026: What to Check Before Your Credential Deadline

The Shift Report Published by Tracy Frazier, RPSGT, RHIT | Sleep Pathways Guild | August 11, 2026

For sleep technologists, maintaining the RPSGT credential is part continuing education and part good recordkeeping. Waiting until the expiration date to discover that a certificate is missing—or that too many credits came from one category—can turn a routine renewal into an avoidable problem.

The Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists currently requires RPSGT and CCSH credential holders to recertify every five years. Credential holders may recertify by earning 50 qualifying continuing education credits during the active five-year credential window or by retaking and passing the corresponding examination. These are current requirements, not newly announced August 2026 rules.

Watch Your ISR Credits

Beginning January 1, 2025, BRPT limited the number of Inter-Scorer Reliability credits that RPSGT and CCSH credential holders may apply toward recertification. No more than 35 of the required 50 CECs may come from ISR activities.

For technologists who participate in scoring comparison throughout the year, that is an easy detail to overlook. ISR can remain an important part of competency and quality work, but it cannot supply the entire 50-credit recertification requirement.

Keep the Certificate

Since October 1, 2024, BRPT has required supporting documentation for submitted CECs. BRPT also tells credential holders to maintain their own records rather than using the online portal as their only storage location.

That is probably one of the simplest ways to prevent problems later: keep the certificate, keep a backup copy, and keep your own running list of credits. Five years is a long time to depend on an old email attachment still being available when you need it.

Do Not Forget BLS/CPR

Current BRPT recertification standards require the application to include current CPR/BLS certification earned through an in-person/live-skills course or a hybrid course that includes an in-person/live-skills component. Online-only BLS/CPR does not meet the current recertification standard.

Because credentialing requirements can change, technologists should check the current BRPT standards rather than relying on what was accepted during a previous renewal cycle.

Waiting Can Become Expensive

BRPT currently lists the standard on-time online recertification fee as $250. Once a credential expires, additional reinstatement, extension-of-credit, or examination requirements can apply depending on how long the credential has been inactive.

The important point is not simply the added cost. An expiration date can change the entire renewal pathway.

From the Control Room

Sleep technologists spend their careers documenting details because details matter. Credentialing deserves the same approach.

It is much easier to notice a missing certificate months before renewal than hours before renewal. A simple folder containing CEC certificates, BLS documentation, credential dates, and a running credit total can prevent a lot of unnecessary scrambling.

BRPT allows eligible RPSGT and CCSH credential holders to begin the recertification process within six months of expiration. Its current standards describe a normal review period of about 15 business days and strongly encourage applying at least three business weeks before expiration. A BRPT step-by-step guide published October 27, 2025 goes further and recommends submitting about two months in advance.

There is little benefit to making the deadline the plan.

Before You Submit: RPSGT Recertification Check

Confirm your exact credential expiration date.

Confirm that you have 50 qualifying CECs or understand the examination pathway.

Make sure the credits fall within the correct credential window.

Check that ISR contributes no more than the current 35-credit maximum.

Upload required supporting documentation.

Keep your own copies of every certificate.

Verify that your CPR/BLS meets the current live-skills requirement.

Review any pending credits early enough to resolve problems before expiration.

Confirm that your contact information in the BRPT portal is current.

Review the current BRPT fee schedule before submitting.

The Shift Report Bottom Line

Recertification should not become a five-year scavenger hunt.

Track your education as you earn it, save the documentation, know your expiration date, and review the current BRPT requirements well before renewal.

Primary Sources

BRPT — RPSGT and CCSH Recertification Standards

BRPT — Managing Your Continuing Education Credits

BRPT — Recertification and Reinstatement Options

BRPT — Recertifying Your RPSGT or CCSH Credential Through Continuing Education: A Step-By-Step Guide

Educational notice: The Shift Report provides educational and professional information for the sleep-technology community. Credentialing requirements can change. Verify current requirements directly with BRPT before making credentialing decisions.

Sleep Pathways Guild — Free educational resources for sleep technologists and sleep-field learners.

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When Software Scores the Night: What Autoscoring Changes—and What It Doesn't

Published by Tracy Frazier, RPSGT, RHIT | Sleep Pathways Guild | August 7, 2026

Autoscoring is becoming a more visible part of polysomnography. For sleep technologists, the useful question is not whether software can produce a hypnogram or mark respiratory events. The more important question is how a laboratory confirms that automated output is accurate enough to trust—and how the technologist recognizes the times when it is not.

In April 2026, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine introduced its Full PSG Autoscoring Certification Program. According to the AASM, the program provides an independent evaluation of software used to interpret adult polysomnography and expands beyond its earlier sleep-stage pilot. The current program evaluates major scoring domains including sleep stage, respiratory events, arousals, and leg movements. AASM states that performance is assessed against more than 140 PSG studies and a Gold Standard Panel of registered sleep technologists.

Source: AASM Full PSG Autoscoring Certification Program

What this means for the control room

Certification of software does not make signal quality irrelevant. The scoring program can only evaluate the information presented to it. A technologist still has to recognize whether a channel is reliable, whether artifact is influencing the record, whether a sensor changed during the night, and whether the scored event actually matches the underlying physiology and current scoring rules.

That changes the nature of the quality question. Instead of asking only, "Can the software score?" a laboratory also needs to ask: How often does staff correct it? Which kinds of studies produce the most disagreement? Does a software update change performance? Are technologists maintaining the skills needed to recognize a convincing but incorrect automated suggestion?

This is where human review remains important. Automation can reduce repetitive work, but a reduced workload is not the same thing as reduced responsibility. A score that arrives automatically still needs to make physiological and technical sense.

Inter-scorer reliability is still part of the picture

The AASM's current Sleep ISR FAQ for network accreditation provides useful context. It states that scoring technologists who score sleep studies for the facility—including staff who score even a single record and subcontracted scorers—participate in the inter-scorer reliability process. The FAQ describes 12 PSG assessments annually, 200 consecutive epochs per assessment, and review across staging, respiratory events, leg movements, and arousals, with an overall Gold Standard passing average of 85%.

Those requirements apply in the AASM network-accreditation context described by the AASM; they should not be generalized into a claim that every facility everywhere follows exactly the same administrative process. The broader lesson is simpler: scoring competency remains measurable even as software becomes more capable.

Source: AASM Sleep ISR FAQ — Network Accreditation Requirements

What laboratories may want to review

Who is responsible for final review of automated scores?

How are disagreements between software and qualified scorers tracked?

Are difficult studies reviewed separately from routine studies?

Are software versions and major updates documented?

Does staff education preserve manual scoring and artifact-recognition skills?

Is the laboratory's process consistent with its medical director's policies, accreditation requirements, and the current AASM Scoring Manual?

These are quality-assurance questions, not instructions to change a facility protocol. Implementation decisions remain the responsibility of the laboratory, its medical director, and applicable accreditation and regulatory requirements.

From the Control Room

The most important skill may become knowing when not to accept the first answer on the screen. Whether a score is entered by a person or suggested by software, a sleep technologist should still be able to trace it back to the signals and ask whether it makes sense. Technology can assist the work; it does not remove the need to understand the record.

Device & Safety Update: limited Inspire lead inventory recall

The FDA currently lists two open Class II recalls involving specific Inspire Medical Systems lead inventory: Model 4063 stimulation leads and Model 4340 respiratory sensing leads. The manufacturer reported that affected products were labeled with incorrect use-by dates extending beyond the validated three-year shelf life. FDA records state that consignees were asked to identify affected clinical inventory and return it to Inspire.

This is a limited, product-specific recall and should not be described as a recall of all Inspire systems or all implanted patients. The FDA lists 10 affected Model 4063 stimulation-lead units and 50 affected Model 4340 respiratory-sensing-lead units in commerce for this recall event. Questions about whether a particular product is affected should be checked against the official FDA recall record and manufacturer information rather than inferred from the brand name alone.

FDA sources: Recall event 98990 | Model 4063 record | Model 4340 record

Shift Discussion

As autoscoring becomes more common, what types of studies do you think still demand the closest human review—artifact-heavy studies, PAP titrations, fragmented sleep, unusual respiratory patterns, or something else?

Quiz Corner

Which practice provides the strongest quality check after a laboratory introduces autoscoring software?

A) Accept every score produced by certified software B) Compare automated output with qualified human review and track recurring discrepancies C) Review only studies with an abnormal AHI D) Stop inter-scorer reliability activities once the software is implemented

Answer: B. Independent software evaluation can provide useful performance information, but laboratory quality assurance still requires qualified review of the data and recognition of recurring discrepancies.

Bottom Line for the Next Shift

Use automation as a tool, not as a substitute for understanding the PSG signals.

Know who performs final scoring review in your laboratory.

Keep scoring and artifact-recognition competencies current.

Treat device recalls according to their exact model, lot, serial-number, and manufacturer/FDA instructions rather than the brand name alone.

About the author: Tracy Frazier, RPSGT, RHIT, is the founder of Sleep Pathways Guild, an educational project focused on practical learning and professional resources for the sleep-technology community.

Educational notice: The Shift Report is provided for professional education and general information. It does not replace physician orders, facility protocols, manufacturer instructions, accreditation requirements, regulatory guidance, or the current AASM Scoring Manual.

Sleep Pathways Guild

[theshiftreport]

Authority Watch: New survey results explore the complexity of marijuana use and sleep

The Shift Report by Sleep Pathways Guild

Authority Watch | AASM | June 1, 2026

New survey results explore the complexity of marijuana use and sleep

Here is the deal: DARIEN, IL – New survey results from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine explore the complex relationship between marijuana use and sleep. One-third (33%) of adults reported that their sleep is slightly or significantly better when they use marijuana. In contrast, 19% of adults reported either no impact (11%) or that their sleep is [...] The post New survey results explore the complexity of marijuana use and sleep appeared first on American Academy of Sleep Medicine – Association for Sleep Clinicians and Researchers .

Why sleep techs should care: This may affect how sleep professionals think about clinical practice, education, credentialing, patient safety, research, lab operations, or the future of the sleep field.

Best for: RPSGT, CPSGT, RRT-SDS, R.EEGT, sleep trainees, educators, and lab managers

Worth your cafecito: Read the original source

Guild note: Sleep Pathways Guild is building study tools, career resources, and sleep-tech education support for the people who keep the lab lights on.

Calendar note: SLEEP 2026 is scheduled for Baltimore. The Shift Report will continue watching for official meeting updates.

Educational note: The Shift Report is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not medical, legal, employment, financial, diagnostic, treatment, or emergency advice. Always verify dates, eligibility, credits, prices, job details, and clinical guidance with the original source.

[theshiftreport]

Authority Watch: New survey results explore the complexity of marijuana use and sleep

The Shift Report by Sleep Pathways Guild

Authority Watch | AASM | June 1, 2026

New survey results explore the complexity of marijuana use and sleep

Here is the deal: DARIEN, IL – New survey results from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine explore the complex relationship between marijuana use and sleep. One-third (33%) of adults reported that their sleep is slightly or significantly better when they use marijuana. In contrast, 19% of adults reported either no impact (11%) or that their sleep is [...] The post New survey results explore the complexity of marijuana use and sleep appeared first on American Academy of Sleep Medicine – Association for Sleep Clinicians and Researchers .

Why sleep techs should care: This may affect how sleep professionals think about clinical practice, education, credentialing, patient safety, research, lab operations, or the future of the sleep field.

Best for: RPSGT, CPSGT, RRT-SDS, R.EEGT, sleep trainees, educators, and lab managers

Worth your cafecito: Read the original source

Guild note: Sleep Pathways Guild is building study tools, career resources, and sleep-tech education support for the people who keep the lab lights on.

Calendar note: SLEEP 2026 is scheduled for Baltimore. The Shift Report will continue watching for official meeting updates.

Educational note: The Shift Report is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not medical, legal, employment, financial, diagnostic, treatment, or emergency advice. Always verify dates, eligibility, credits, prices, job details, and clinical guidance with the original source.

[theshiftreport]

Authority Watch: 2026 MIPS Value Pathway registration open

The Shift Report by Sleep Pathways Guild

Authority Watch | AASM | May 28, 2026

2026 MIPS Value Pathway registration open

Here is the deal: On May 20, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Value Pathways (MVPs) registration window is open for the 2026 performance year. All entities that wish to report an MVP can register through 8 p.m. ET on Nov. 30, 2026. MVPs are a reporting option that [...] The post 2026 MIPS Value Pathway registration open appeared first on American Academy of Sleep Medicine – Association for Sleep Clinicians and Researchers .

Why sleep techs should care: This may affect how sleep professionals think about clinical practice, education, credentialing, patient safety, research, lab operations, or the future of the sleep field.

Best for: RPSGT, CPSGT, RRT-SDS, R.EEGT, sleep trainees, educators, and lab managers

Worth your cafecito: Read the original source

Guild note: Sleep Pathways Guild is building study tools, career resources, and sleep-tech education support for the people who keep the lab lights on.

Calendar note: SLEEP 2026 is scheduled for Baltimore. The Shift Report will continue watching for official meeting updates.

Educational note: The Shift Report is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not medical, legal, employment, financial, diagnostic, treatment, or emergency advice. Always verify dates, eligibility, credits, prices, job details, and clinical guidance with the original source.

[theshiftreport]

Authority Watch: 2024 Quality Payment Program participation and performance results summary

The Shift Report by Sleep Pathways Guild

Authority Watch | AASM | May 28, 2026

2024 Quality Payment Program participation and performance results summary

Here is the deal: On May 20, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the 2024 Quality Payment Program (QPP) participation and performance results. In previous years, this was called the QPP Experience Report. This document provides data specific to sleep medicine providers related to MIPS measure reporting. According to the 2024 QPP results, 520,035 clinicians received [...] The post 2024 Quality Payment Program participation and performance results summary appeared first on American Academy of Sleep Medicine – Association for Sleep Clinicians and Researchers .

Why sleep techs should care: This may affect how sleep professionals think about clinical practice, education, credentialing, patient safety, research, lab operations, or the future of the sleep field.

Best for: RPSGT, CPSGT, RRT-SDS, R.EEGT, sleep trainees, educators, and lab managers

Worth your cafecito: Read the original source

Guild note: Sleep Pathways Guild is building study tools, career resources, and sleep-tech education support for the people who keep the lab lights on.

Calendar note: SLEEP 2026 is scheduled for Baltimore. The Shift Report will continue watching for official meeting updates.

Educational note: The Shift Report is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not medical, legal, employment, financial, diagnostic, treatment, or emergency advice. Always verify dates, eligibility, credits, prices, job details, and clinical guidance with the original source.

[theshiftreport]

Authority Watch: Progress, partnership, and the path forward

The Shift Report by Sleep Pathways Guild

Authority Watch | AASM | May 28, 2026

Progress, partnership, and the path forward

Here is the deal: As my term as AASM president comes to a close, I find myself reflecting with deep gratitude on all that we have accomplished together this year. Across clinical care, education, advocacy, and innovation, your engagement and dedication have helped move our field forward in meaningful ways. Together, we advanced important initiatives to support both [...] The post Progress, partnership, and the path forward appeared first on American Academy of Sleep Medicine – Association for Sleep Clinicians and Researchers .

Why sleep techs should care: This may affect how sleep professionals think about clinical practice, education, credentialing, patient safety, research, lab operations, or the future of the sleep field.

Best for: RPSGT, CPSGT, RRT-SDS, R.EEGT, sleep trainees, educators, and lab managers

Worth your cafecito: Read the original source

Guild note: Sleep Pathways Guild is building study tools, career resources, and sleep-tech education support for the people who keep the lab lights on.

Calendar note: SLEEP 2026 is scheduled for Baltimore. The Shift Report will continue watching for official meeting updates.

Educational note: The Shift Report is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not medical, legal, employment, financial, diagnostic, treatment, or emergency advice. Always verify dates, eligibility, credits, prices, job details, and clinical guidance with the original source.

[theshiftreport]

Authority Watch: SRS and AASM Foundation Announce 2026 Dependent Care and Accessibility Grant Recipients

The Shift Report by Sleep Pathways Guild

Authority Watch | Sleep Research Society | May 27, 2026

SRS and AASM Foundation Announce 2026 Dependent Care and Accessibility Grant Recipients

Here is the deal: The Sleep Research Society (SRS) and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) Foundation are pleased to announce the recipients of the SRS and AASM Foundation Dependent Care and Accessibility Grant for SLEEP 2026. This joint initiative reflects a shared commitment to improving equity in access to professional development opportunities within sleep and circadian [...] The post SRS and AASM Foundation Announce 2026 Dependent Care and Accessibility Grant Recipients appeared first on Sleep Research Society .

Why sleep techs should care: This may affect how sleep professionals think about clinical practice, education, credentialing, patient safety, research, lab operations, or the future of the sleep field.

Best for: RPSGT, CPSGT, RRT-SDS, R.EEGT, sleep trainees, educators, and lab managers

Worth your cafecito: Read the original source

Guild note: Sleep Pathways Guild is building study tools, career resources, and sleep-tech education support for the people who keep the lab lights on.

Calendar note: SLEEP 2026 is scheduled for Baltimore. The Shift Report will continue watching for official meeting updates.

Educational note: The Shift Report is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not medical, legal, employment, financial, diagnostic, treatment, or emergency advice. Always verify dates, eligibility, credits, prices, job details, and clinical guidance with the original source.