Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert
New Guidelines Mean Broader Application of Deep Brain Stimulation Codes
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New guidelines from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have allowed for broader use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for treatment of essential tremor (ET) and Parkinson's disease.
When applying DBS, surgeons must be careful to report all portions of the service (including incision, placement and, in some cases, programming) while supplying an appropriate diagnosis and meeting other submission requirements.
DBS refers to high-frequency electrical stimulation of anatomic regions deep within the brain using surgically implanted electrodes, says Jennifer Schmutz, CPC, of Neurosurgical Association in Indianapolis. The surgeon may place the electrodes on one (unilateral) or both (bilateral) sides of the brain at one of three locations: the thalamic ventralis intermedius nucleus (VIM), subthalamic nucleus (STN) and globus pallidus interna (GPi).
CMS program memorandum, transmittal AB-03-023, dated Feb. 14, 2003, instructs carriers to pay for (previously uncovered) unilateral or bilateral VIM DBS for the treatment of ET and/or Parkinsonian tremor and unilateral or bilateral STN or GPi DBS for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, beginning April 1.
For thalamic VIM DBS:
For STN or GPi DBS:
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