Abstract Introduction Although several studies have evaluated the impact of board-certification in sleep medicine regarding obstructive sleep apnea treatment outcomes, no studies to date have identified predictive factors to determine which patients are evaluated by board-certified sleep medicine providers (BCSMP) in the clinical practice. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify predictors of being seen by a BCSMP, relative to non-sleep specialist providers. Methods Our data source was a random 5% sample of Medicare administrative claims data from 2006-2013. Sleep disorder diagnoses such as insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, hypersomnias, and parasomnias, as well as medical comorbidities including cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, mood, pulmonary, and neurological disorders, were operationalized using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes. Demographic data were obtained from the claims. BCSMP were identified using a novel cross-matching approach based on National Provider Identifier (NPI). Results A total of 57,209 Medicare beneficiaries received a sleep disorder diagnosis between 2006-2013, but only 1,279 (2.2%) of these individuals were ever seen by a BCSMP. Within a multivariate logistic regression model, male gender, asthma, and heart failure were significantly associated with being seen by a BCSMP. Additionally, BCSMP were more likely to evaluate patients with two or more sleep diagnoses. Conclusion Complexity of sleep disorders and cardiovascular and lung comorbidities were predictive of being seen by a BCSMP. These results demonstrate the importance of BCSMPs in caring for complex sleep medicine patients. Support This research was supported by an AASM Strategic Research Award from the AASM Foundation to the University of Maryland, Baltimore (PI: EMW).