Dean and Epidural injections

[aschaeve]

Has anyone seen the new policies that Dean is putting in place as of 11-1-12, that you can no longer bill for for Thoracic/Cervical Epidurals anymore. I know some of this applies to the outpatient Pain doctors office but what about inpatient stays?

Alicia, CPC

 

[dwaldman]

What is Dean?

 

[lenora rodes]

Dean is an insurance plan in Wisconsin.

Per their policy epidurals are not medically necessary. POS seems irrelevant....sorry.

Check for yourself:

http://www.deancare.com/pdf/medicalpolicies/9415 NonSvcsPolicy.pdf

Lenora, CPC, CANPC, COBGC

 

[Michele Hannon]

Unless I am missing something.......it would appear that they are not going to cover cervical or thoracic discography. Discography involves injecting dye into the affected suspected herniated nucleosus pulposa to try to illicit a pain response.

Are you speaking of therapeutic epidural injections FOR pain that are not being reimbursed?

 

[Walker22]

The list includes cervical epidurals as well... alphabetized under C ... took me a while to find it

 

[Michele Hannon]

My apologies.......I do see the cervical epidural injection-not medically necessary. Tough crowd that Dean group.