HIGHMARK COMMERCIAL MEDICAL POLICY - PENNSYLVANIA

 
 

Medical Policy:
O-13-025
Topic:
Cranial Orthosis for Plagiocephaly
Section:
Orthotic & Prosthetic Devices
Effective Date:
November 6, 2017
Issued Date:
March 4, 2019
Last Revision Date:
February 2019
Annual Review:
February 2019
 
 

A cranial orthosis used in the treatment of plagiocephaly is a device intended for medical purposes to apply pressure to prominent regions of an infant's cranium in order to improve cranial symmetry and/or shape.

Policy Position

Non-synostotic Plagiocephaly

Cranial orthotic devices used in the treatment of moderate-to-severe non-synostotic plagiocephaly may be considered medically necessary when ALL of the following criteria are met:

  • The infant must have tried and failed conservative therapy (i.e., repositioning) for a minimum of two (2) months; and
  • The infant must be 3 - 18 months of age; and
  • Cranial asymmetry is documented by EITHER of the following:
    • Moderate to severe plagiocephaly in ONE of the following anthropometric dimensions (Table 1):
      • Cranial vault; or
      • Cranial base; or
      • Orbitotragial depth; or
    • Cephalic index measurement is two (2) standard deviations above or below the mean (Table 2).

Cranial orthosis is considered cosmetic and therefore non-covered when used in the treatment of non-synostotic plagiocephaly with mild deformity and/or when a minimum trial period of two (2) months of conservative therapy has not been tried. 

Cranial orthotic devices for non-synostotic plagiocephaly for all other indications is considered not medically necessary.

L0112

L0113

S1040  

 

 

 

 




Synostotic Plagiocephaly
Cranial orthotic devices used in the post-operative treatment of synostotic plagiocephaly may be considered medically necessary for infants with moderate to severe residual plagiocephaly after surgical correction when cranial asymmetry is documented by ANY of the following:

  • Moderate to severe plagiocephaly in ONE of the following anthropometric dimensions (Table 1):
    • Cranial vault; or
    • Cranial base; or
    • Orbitotragial depth; or
  • Cephalic index measurement is two (2) standard deviations above or below the mean (Table 2). 

Cranial orthotic devices for synostotic plagiocephaly for all other indications is considered not medically necessary.

L0112

L0113

S1040  

 

 

 

 




Related Policies

Refer to Medical Policy E-1 Durable Medical Equipment (DME) for additional information.


Covered Diagnosis Codes for Procedure Codes L0112, L0113 and S1040

Q67.3

Q75.0

Q75.8

 

 

 

 



Place of Service: Outpatient

Cranial orthosis for plagiocephaly 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



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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.