HIGHMARK COMMERCIAL MEDICAL POLICY - PENNSYLVANIA

 
 

Medical Policy:
Z-67-046
Topic:
Experimental/Investigational Services
Section:
Miscellaneous
Effective Date:
October 1, 2018
Issued Date:
October 1, 2018
Last Revision Date:
October 2017
Annual Review:
October 2017
 
 

Experimental/Investigational services are defined as a treatment, procedure, facility, equipment, drug, service or supply (“intervention”) that has been determined not to be medically effective for the condition being treated.

This policy addresses services considered to be experimental/investigational and, therefore, non-covered services.

Policy Position Coverage is subject to the specific terms of the member's benefit plan.

Charges submitted for the services listed in this policy are denied as experimental/investigational. The determination for denial is based on ANY of the following reasons:

  • The intervention does not have Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to be marketed for the specific relevant indication(s); or
  • Available scientific evidence does not permit conclusions concerning the effect of the intervention on health outcomes; or
  • The intervention is not proven to be as safe or effective in achieving an outcome equal to or exceeding the outcome of alternative therapies; or
  • The intervention does not improve health outcomes; or
  • The intervention is not proven to be applicable outside the research setting.

The following procedure codes are considered experimental/investigational and, therefore, non-covered. Scientific evidence of safety and efficacy has not been proven.

0011M

0012M

0013M

0002U

0006U

0007U

0011U

0012U

0016U

0017U

0019U

0021U

0022U

0023U

0024U

0025U

0026U

0027U 

0029U

0030U

0031U 

0032U

0033U

0034U

0035U

0036U

0037U

0038U

0039U

0040U

0041U

0042U

0043U

0044U

0051U

0054U

0058U

0059U

0061U

0062U

0063U

0064U

0065U

0066U

0067U

0068U

0069U

0070U

0071U

0072U

0073U

0074U

0075U

0076U

0077U

0078U

0079U

0100T

0111T

0174T

0175T

0190T

0198T

0200T

0201T

0202T

0205T

0207T

0219T

0220T

0221T

0222T

0250T

0251T

0252T

0254T

0263T

0264T

0265T

0266T

0267T

0268T

0269T

 0270T

0271T

0272T

0273T

0278T

0288T

0329T

0330T

0333T

0335T

0337T

0338T

0339T

0342T

0346T

0356T

0358T

0381T

0382T

0383T

0384T

0385T

0386T

0387T

0388T

0389T

0390T

0391T

0396T

0397T

0399T

0400T

0401T

0405T

0408T

0409T

0410T

0411T

0412T

0413T

0414T

0415T

0416T

0417T

0418T

0422T

0423T

0424T

0425T

0426T

0427T

0428T

0429T

0430T

0431T

0432T

0433T

0434T

0435T

0436T

0437T

0439T

0440T

0441T

0442T

0443T

0444T

0445T

0451T

0452T

0453T

0454T

0455T

0456T

0457T

0458T

0459T

0460T

0461T

0462T

0463T

0465T

0469T

0470T

0471T

0472T

0473T

0475T

0476T

0477T

0478T

0479T

0480T

0484T

0485T

0486T

0487T

0488T

0489T

0490T

0491T

0492T

0493T

0497T

0498T

0499T

0505T

0506T

0507T

0508T

31647

31648

31649

31651

32994

55874

64912

64913

90587

91022

92145

93895

96931

96932

96933

96934

96935

96936

C9745

C9746

Q0035

S3902

S8040

S8930

S9025

 

 

 

 

 

 




Place of Service: Inpatient/Outpatient

Experimental/Investigational (E/I) services are not covered regardless of place of service.

An experimental/investigational service is typically an outpatient procedure which is only eligible for coverage as an inpatient procedure in special circumstances, including, but not limited to, the presence of a co-morbid condition that would require monitoring in a more controlled environment such as the inpatient setting.


The policy position applies to all commercial lines of business


Denial Statements

Services that do not meet the criteria of this policy will be considered experimental/investigational (E/I). A network provider can bill the member for the experimental/investigational service. The provider must give advance written notice informing the member that the service has been deemed E/I. The member must be provided with an estimate of the cost and the member must agree in writing to assume financial responsibility in advance of receiving the service. The signed agreement must be maintained in the provider’s records.



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This policy is designed to address medical guidelines that are appropriate for the majority of individuals with a particular disease, illness, or condition. Each person's unique clinical or other circumstances may warrant individual consideration, based on review of applicable medical records, as well as other regulatory, contractual and/or legal requirements.

Medical policies do not constitute medical advice, nor are they intended to govern the practice of medicine. They are intended to reflect Highmark's reimbursement and coverage guidelines. Coverage for services may vary for individual members, based on the terms of the benefit contract.

Highmark retains the right to review and update its medical policy guidelines at its sole discretion. These guidelines are the proprietary information of Highmark. Any sale, copying or dissemination of the medical policies is prohibited; however, limited copying of medical policies is permitted for individual use.

Discrimination is Against the Law
The Claims Administrator/Insurer complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. The Claims Administrator/Insurer does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. The Claims Administrator/ Insurer:

  • Provides free aids and services to people with disabilities to communicate effectively with us, such as:
  • Qualified sign language interpreters
  • Written information in other formats (large print, audio, accessible electronic formats, other formats)

  • Provides free language services to people whose primary language is not English, such as:
  • Qualified interpreters
  • Information written in other languages
  • If you need these services, contact the Civil Rights Coordinator.

    If you believe that the Claims Administrator/Insurer has failed to provide these services or discriminated in another way on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex, you can file a grievance with: Civil Rights Coordinator, P.O. Box 22492, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, Phone: 1-866-286-8295, TTY: 711, Fax: 412-544-2475, email: CivilRightsCoordinator@highmarkhealth.org. You can file a grievance in person or by mail, fax, or email. If you need help filing a grievance, the Civil Rights Coordinator is available to help you.

    You can also file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights electronically through the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal, available at https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/portal/lobby.jsf, or by mail or phone at:

    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
    200 Independence Avenue, SW
    Room 509F, HHH Building
    Washington, D.C. 20201
    1-800-368-1019, 800-537-7697 (TDD)

    Complaint forms are available at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/office/file/index.html.

    Insurance or benefit/claims administration may be provided by Highmark, Highmark Choice Company, Highmark Coverage Advantage, Highmark Health Insurance Company, First Priority Life Insurance Company, First Priority Health, Highmark Benefits Group, Highmark Select Resources, Highmark Senior Solutions Company or Highmark Senior Health Company, all of which are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans.





    Medical policies do not constitute medical advice, nor are they intended to govern the practice of medicine. They are intended to reflect reimbursement and coverage guidelines. Coverage for services may vary for individual members, based on the terms of the benefit contract.

    Discrimination is Against the Law
    The Claims Administrator/Insurer complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. The Claims Administrator/Insurer does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. The Claims Administrator/ Insurer:

  • Provides free aids and services to people with disabilities to communicate effectively with us, such as:
  • Qualified sign language interpreters
  • Written information in other formats (large print, audio, accessible electronic formats, other formats)

  • Provides free language services to people whose primary language is not English, such as:
  • Qualified interpreters
  • Information written in other languages
  • If you need these services, contact the Civil Rights Coordinator.

    If you believe that the Claims Administrator/Insurer has failed to provide these services or discriminated in another way on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex, you can file a grievance with: Civil Rights Coordinator, P.O. Box 22492, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, Phone: 1-866-286-8295 , TTY: 711, Fax: 412-544-2475, email: CivilRightsCoordinator@highmarkhealth.org. You can file a grievance in person or by mail, fax, or email. If you need help filing a grievance, the Civil Rights Coordinator is available to help you.

    You can also file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights electronically through the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal, available at https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/portal/lobby.jsf, or by mail or phone at:

    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
    200 Independence Avenue, SW
    Room 509F, HHH Building
    Washington, D.C. 20201
    1-800-368-1019, 800-537-7697 (TDD)

    Complaint forms are available at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/office/file/index.html.