NON-MEDICAL NECESSITY COVERAGE AND PAYMENT RULES:
For any item to be covered by Medicare, it must 1) be eligible for a defined Medicare benefit category, 2) be reasonable and necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of illness or injury or to improve the functioning of a malformed body member, and 3) meet all other applicable Medicare statutory and regulatory requirements. Information provided in this policy article relates to determinations other than those based on Social Security Act §1862(a)(1)(A) provisions (i.e. “reasonable and necessary”).
Automatic external defibrillators are covered under the Durable Medical Equipment benefit (Social Security Act §1861(s)(6). In order for a beneficiary’s DME to be eligible for reimbursement, the reasonable and necessary (R&N) requirements set out in the related Local Coverage Determination must be met. In addition, there are specific statutory payment policy requirements, discussed below, that also must be met.
REQUIREMENTS FOR SPECIFIC DMEPOS ITEMS PURSUANT TO Final Rule 1713 (84 Fed. Reg Vol 217)
Final Rule 1713 (84 Fed. Reg Vol 217) requires a face-to-face encounter and a Written Order Prior to Delivery (WOPD) for specified HCPCS codes. CMS and the DME MACs provide a list of the specified codes, which is periodically updated. The required Face-to-Face Encounter and Written Order Prior to Delivery List is available here.
Claims for the specified items subject to Final Rule 1713 (84 Fed. Reg Vol 217) that do not meet the face-to-face encounter and WOPD requirements specified in the LCD-related Standard Documentation Requirements Article (A55426) will be denied as not reasonable and necessary.
If a supplier delivers an item prior to receipt of a WOPD, it will be denied as not reasonable and necessary. If the WOPD is not obtained prior to delivery, payment will not be made for that item even if a WOPD is subsequently obtained by the supplier. If a similar item is subsequently provided by an unrelated supplier who has obtained a WOPD prior to delivery, it will be eligible for coverage.
POLICY SPECIFIC DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS
In addition to policy specific documentation requirements, there are general documentation requirements that are applicable to all DMEPOS policies. These general requirements are located in the DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS section of the LCD.
Refer to the LCD-related Standard Documentation Requirements article, located at the bottom of this Policy Article under the Related Local Coverage Documents section for additional information regarding GENERAL DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS and the POLICY SPECIFIC DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS discussed below.
The diagnosis code that justifies the need for these items must be included on the claim.
MODIFIERS
KX, GA, GZ AND KF MODIFIERS:
Suppliers must add a KX modifier to a code only if all of the criteria in the “Coverage Indications, Limitations and/or Medical Necessity” section of the related LCD have been met.
If all of the criteria in the Coverage Indications, Limitations and/or Medical Necessity section of the related LCD have not been met, the GA or GZ modifier must be added to the code. When there is an expectation of a denial as not reasonable and necessary, suppliers must enter the GA modifier on the claim line if they have obtained a properly executed Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN) or the GZ modifier if they have not obtained a valid ABN.
Claim lines billed without a GA, GZ, or KX modifier will be rejected as missing information.
Devices coded K0606 and E0617 are classified by the Food and Drug Administration as Class III devices; therefore, all claims for code K0606 and E0617 must include the KF modifier. Claim lines billed without a KF modifier will be rejected as missing information.
CODING GUIDELINES
Automatic defibrillators are devices that are capable of monitoring cardiac rhythms, detecting dysrhythmias, and delivering a defibrillation shock to the heart when appropriate without any user decision-making.
Non-wearable, automatic external defibrillators with integrated electrocardiogram capability are coded using HCPCS code E0617.
Wearable, automatic, external defibrillators with integrated electrocardiogram analysis are coded using HCPCS code K0606.
Other types of defibrillators are coded as A9270. No separate payment is made for carrying cases or mounting hardware.
Replacement supplies and accessories for use with K0606 are coded using K0607, K0608, and K0609 as appropriate.
Replacement supplies and accessories for use with E0617 are coded using A9999.
Suppliers should contact the Pricing, Data Analysis and Coding (PDAC) Contractor for guidance on the correct coding of these items.
