LCD/NCD Portal

L11552 COLD THERAPY

 

Region IV

DME

Jurisdiction C

 

08/05/2011

 

 

• For any item to be covered by Medicare, it must

o be eligible for a defined Medicare benefit category

o be reasonable and necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of illness or injury or to improve the functioning of a malformed body member

o Meet all other applicable Medicare statutory and regulatory requirements.

o For the items addressed in this local coverage determination, the criteria for "reasonable and necessary", based on Social Security Act § 1862(a) (1) (A) provisions, are defined by the following indications and limitations of coverage and/or medical necessity.

• For an item to be covered by Medicare, a written signed and dated order must be received by the supplier before a claim is submitted.

o If the supplier bills for an item addressed in this policy without first receiving the completed order, the item will be denied as not reasonable and necessary.

o A water circulating cold pad with pump (E0218) will be denied as not reasonable and necessary.

 

 

Bill Type Codes:

• Contractors may specify Bill Types to help providers identify those Bill Types typically used to report this service.

• Absence of a Bill Type does not guarantee that the policy does not apply to that Bill Type.

• Complete absence of all Bill Types indicates that coverage is not influenced by Bill Type and the policy should be assumed to apply equally to all claims.

 

Revenue Codes:

• Contractors may specify Revenue Codes to help providers identify those Revenue Codes typically used to report this service.

• In most instances Revenue Codes are purely advisory; unless specified in the policy services reported under other Revenue Codes are equally subject to this coverage determination.

• Complete absence of all Revenue Codes indicates that coverage is not influenced by Revenue Code and the policy should be assumed to apply equally to all Revenue Codes.

 

 

CPT/HCPCS Codes

The appearance of a code in this section does not necessarily indicate coverage.

 

HCPCS MODIFIERS:

 

EY - No physician or other licensed health care provider order for this item or service

 

HCPCS CODES:

 

A9270 NON-COVERED ITEM OR SERVICE

A9273 HOT WATER BOTTLE, ICE CAP OR COLLAR, HEAT AND/OR COLD WRAP, ANY TYPE

E0218 WATER CIRCULATING COLD PAD WITH PUMP

 

 

Documentations Requirements

• Section 1833(e) of the Social Security Act precludes payment to any provider of services unless "there has been furnished such information as may be necessary in order to determine the amounts due such provider".

o It is expected that the patient's medical records will reflect the need for the care provided.

o The patient's medical records include the physician's office records, hospital records, nursing home records, home health agency records, records from other healthcare professionals and test reports. This documentation must be available upon request.

• An order for each item billed must be signed and dated by the treating physician, kept on file by the supplier, and made available upon request.

o Items billed before a signed and dated order has been received by the supplier must be submitted with an EY modifier added to each affected HCPCS code.

• Refer to the Supplier Manual for more information on documentation requirements.

 

Sources of Information and Basis for Decision

 

A19958 - Cold Therapy - Policy Article - Effective January 2011

 

Local Coverage Determination (LCD) for Cold Therapy (L11552)