News & Press: Advocacy

Promoting Appropriate Coverage Criteria for Facet Joint Interventions

Monday, November 2, 2020  

 

On October 29, 2020, on behalf of our members and those of five other medical societies, SIS submitted comment letters to Medicare Administrative Contractors (MAC) who recently revised Medicare's facet intervention coverage criteria.

Letters recommend changes to the proposed policies, including:

  • revising the minimum duration between diagnostic blocks from 2 weeks to 2 days;
  • classifying medial branch blocks only as diagnostic procedures;
  • reconsidering proposed criteria that allow access to RF neurotomy based on 50% improvement in ability to perform ADLs after dual diagnostic blocks;
  • removing barriers to repeat successful RF neurotomy; and
  • clarifying that these procedures should not be performed by non-physicians.

SIS members may click the contractor name to download the letters.

CGS Administrators, LLC 🔒

First Coast Service Options, Inc. 🔒

National Government Services, Inc. 🔒

Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC 🔒

Novitas Solutions, Inc. 🔒

Palmetto GBA 🔒

WPS Government Health Administrators🔒

 

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