Persius/hicric huggingface dataset:
Appeal type: unknown
Decision: unknown

The rules say that plans must pay for a medical service or item if regular Medicare would pay for it in this case. You can find this rule at 42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 422.101.
The rules say that a patient must have at least 1 of the following:
1. Radiographic or clinical evidence of instability due to any 1 of the following:
a. Congenital deformities,
b. Trauma,
c. Fractures,
d. Chronic degenerative conditions,
e. Tumor,
f. Infection,
g. Erosive conditions,
h. Space-occupying lesions, or
i. Iatrogenic causes, including expected instability as a consequence of another medically necessary spine procedure
If more than 1 level is fused under this indication, the record must reflect that each fused level is affected by 1 of the above conditions.
2. Symptomatic spinal deformity (in the absence of instability or neural compression) which meets the following criteria:
Both of the first 2 criteria must be met:
a. Functional limitation in daily activities due to back pain or discomfort and
b. Nonresponse to at least 1 year of non-operative treatment
Any 1 of these 3 criteria must be met:
c. Sagittal or coronal imbalance by at least 5 cm as measured on radiographic imaging of the entire spine, or
d. Progression of deformity by at least 10 degrees, or
e. Scoliotic curvature of greater than 30 degrees
3. Revision surgery for pseudarthrosis following an initial spine surgery if the following conditions are all met.
a. The patient had a period of reduced pain initially following surgery and
b. The time since the prior surgery has been at least 1 year and
c. There is clear radiographic evidence of pseudarthrosis and
d. The patient has exhausted available conservative treatment measures
The medical record must clearly reflect which conservative treatments the patient has tried or is not a candidate for and why, including medical therapies, physical and exercise therapies and injections. Outcomes for fusion in revision surgery, usually do not lead to pain relief and as such fusion is considered a last resort treatment option only when all other treatment options have failed. This information must be communicated to the patient prior to surgery to allow for appropriate shared decision making with a well-informed patient. The medical record must reflect that this counseling was done and that the patient wished to undergo surgery with the appropriately informed consent.
4. Symptomatic compression of neural elements for which disc excision is necessary for decompression. The record must reflect disc compression of neural elements for each level fused based on this indication.
You can find this rule at Local Coverage Determination (LCD): Lumbar Spinal Fusion (L37848) (eff. 7/30/20).
If you want to read these Medicare rules, you can go to this website www.medicareappeal.com.
The Plan contract says that the Plan covers items and services in accordance with Medicare rules.
Appeal type: unknown
Decision: unknown

The rules say that plans must pay for a medical service or item if regular Medicare would pay for it in this case. You can find this rule at 42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 422.101.
The rules say that payment for inpatient psychiatric hospital services is to be made only for active treatment. For services to be designated as active treatment they must: 1. be provided under an individualized treatment or diagnostic plan; 2. reasonably be expected to improve the patient's condition, or for the purpose of diagnosis; and 3. be supervised and evaluated by a physician.
You can find these rules in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Internet Only Manual, Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 2, Sections 30.2.2 and 30.2.2.1. The rules say that Medicare will not pay any expenses for items or services which are not medically necessary and reasonable for the diagnosis or treatment of illness or injury. This exclusion extends to claims for services which are provided in inappropriate settings. You can find this rule in the Social Security Act, Section 1862(a)(1).
If you want to read these Medicare rules, you can go to this website www.medicareappeal.com.
The Plan contract says that the Plan covers items and services in accordance with Medicare rules.
Appeal type: unknown
Decision: unknown

The rules say that plans must pay for a medical service or item if regular Medicare would pay for it in this case.
You can find this rule at 42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 422.101.
The rules say that Medicare may cover a drug or biological if it is safe and effective and otherwise reasonable
and necessary. You can find this rule in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Internet Only
Manual, Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 15, Section 50.4.1.
Medicare rules also allow the plan to use step therapy. This is the process of beginning drug therapy for a
medical condition with "preferred" (or more cost-effective) on-formulary drug alternative(s) and progressing to
other drug therapies only as necessary. A plan must grant an exception to its step therapy rules if it determines
that the requested drug is medically necessary, consistent with the prescriber's statement. The statement must
show that the step therapy drugs: have been ineffective in treating the enrollee; or are likely to be ineffective or
adversely affect the drug's effectiveness or patient compliance; or are likely to cause an adverse reaction or
other harm to the enrollee.
Medicare Advantage plans should ensure that new step therapy requirements do not disrupt ongoing Part B
drug therapies for enrollees. Step therapy may only be applied to new prescriptions or administrations of Part B
drugs for enrollees that are not actively receiving the affected medication. You can find this information at 42
CFR Section 423.578(b)(5)(ii).
If you want to read these Medicare rules, you can go to this website www.medicareappeal.com.
The Plan contract says that the Plan covers items and services in accordance with Medicare rules. The contract
says that the Plan has step therapy requirements for certain Medicare Part B covered drugs/biologicals.
Enrollees may be required to try a preferred drug before the Plan will approve the requested medication. You
can find this information on pages 86, 87, and 194 of the Plan's 2021 Evidence of Coverage.
Appeal type: unknown
Decision: unknown

The rules say that plans must pay for a medical service or item if regular Medicare would pay for it in this case. You can find this rule at 42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 422.101.
The rules say that Medicare will pay for durable medical equipment (DME) that is reasonable and necessary for treatment of an illness or injury, or to improve the functioning of a malformed body part. Medicare considers equipment to be reasonable and necessary if the equipment does not serve the same purpose as other equipment already available to an enrollee. You can find these rules in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Internet Only Manual, Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 15, Section 110.1(C). Rules also state that The reasonable useful lifetime of durable medical equipment is determined through program instructions. In the absence of program instructions, A/B MACS (B) may determine the reasonable useful lifetime of equipment, but in no case can it be less than 5 years. Computation of the useful lifetime is based on when the equipment is delivered to the beneficiary, not the age of the equipment. Replacement due to wear is not covered during the reasonable useful lifetime of the equipment. During the reasonable useful lifetime, Medicare does cover repair up to the cost of replacement (but not actual replacement) for medically necessary equipment owned by the beneficiary. This information is found in the Medicare Benefit Policy Manual- Chapter 15: Covered Medical and Other Health Services- Section 110.2- Repairs, Maintenance, Replacement, and Delivery.
If you want to read these Medicare rules, you can go to this website www.medicareappeal.com.
The Plan contract says that the Plan covers items and services in accordance with Medicare rules.
Appeal type: unknown
Decision: unknown

The rules say that plans must pay for a medical service or item if regular Medicare would pay for it in this case. You can find this rule at 42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 422.101.
The rules say that Medicare may cover a drug or biological if it is safe and effective and otherwise reasonable and necessary. You can find this rule in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Internet Only Manual, Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 15, Section 50.4.1. Medicare rules also allow the plan to use step therapy. This is the process of beginning drug therapy for a medical condition with "preferred" (or more cost-effective) on-formulary drug alternative(s) and progressing to other drug therapies only as necessary. A plan must grant an exception to its step therapy rules if it determines that the requested drug is medically necessary, consistent with the prescriber's statement. The statement must show that the step therapy drugs: have been ineffective in treating the enrollee; or are likely to be ineffective or adversely affect the drug's effectiveness or patient compliance; or are likely to cause an adverse reaction or other harm to the enrollee. Medicare Advantage plans should ensure that new step therapy requirements do not disrupt ongoing Part B drug therapies for enrollees. Step therapy may only be applied to new prescriptions or administrations of Part B drugs for enrollees that are not actively receiving the affected medication. You can find this information at 42 CFR Section 423.578(b)(5)(ii).
If you want to read these Medicare rules, you can go to this website www.medicareappeal.com.
The Plan contract says that the Plan covers items and services in accordance with Medicare rules. The contract says that the Plan has step therapy requirements for certain Medicare Part B covered drugs/biologicals. Enrollees may be required to try a preferred drug before the Plan will approve the requested medication. You can find this information on pages 4-33 to 4-34 of the plan's 2021 Evidence of Coverage.
Appeal type: unknown
Decision: unknown

The rules say that plans must pay for a medical service or item if regular Medicare would pay for it in this case. You can find this rule at 42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 422.101.

The rules say that effective for services performed on or after March 16, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has determined that Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) as a diagnostic laboratory test is reasonable and necessary and covered nationally, when performed in a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-certified laboratory, when ordered by a treating physician, and when all of the following requirements are met:

a. Patient has:

i. either recurrent, relapsed, refractory, metastatic, or advanced stage III or IV cancer; and
ii. not been previously tested with the same test using NGS for the same cancer genetic content, and
iii. decided to seek further cancer treatment (e.g., therapeutic chemotherapy).

b. The diagnostic laboratory test using NGS must have:

i. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approval or clearance as a companion in vitro diagnostic; and,
ii. an FDA-approved or -cleared indication for use in that patient's cancer; and,
iii. results provided to the treating physician for management of the patient using a report template to specify treatment options.

2. Germline (Inherited) Cancer

Effective for services performed on or after January 27, 2020, CMS has determined that NGS as a diagnostic laboratory test is reasonable and necessary and covered nationally for patients with germline (inherited) cancer, when performed in a CLIA-certified laboratory, when ordered by a treating physician and when all of the following requirements are met:

a. Patient has:

i. ovarian or breast cancer; and,
ii. a clinical indication for germline (inherited) testing for hereditary breast or ovarian cancer; and,
iii. a risk factor for germline (inherited) breast or ovarian cancer; and
iv. not been previously tested with the same germline test using NGS for the same germline genetic content.

b. The diagnostic laboratory test using NGS must have all of the following:

i. FDA-approval or clearance; and,
ii. results provided to the treating physician for management of the patient using a report template to specify treatment options.

You can find this rule in the National Coverage Determination Manual, Section 90.2.

If you want to read these Medicare rules, you can go to this website www.medicareappeal.com.

The Plan contract says that the Plan covers items and services in accordance with Medicare rules.
Appeal type: unknown
Decision: unknown

The rules say that plans must pay for a medical service or item if regular Medicare would pay for it in this case. You can find this rule at 42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 422.101.
The rules say that Medicare will not pay for dental services. Dental services are items and services involving the care, treatment, filling, removal or replacement of teeth or structures directly supporting the teeth. Medicare defines "structures directly supporting the teeth" as the periodontium, which includes the gingivae, dentogingival junction, periodontal membrane, cementum of the teeth, and alveolar process. You can find this rule in the Social Security Act, Section 1862(a)(12) and in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Internet Only Manual, Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 15, Section 150.
If you want to read these Medicare rules, you can go to this website www.medicareappeal.com.
The Plan contract says that the Plan covers items and services in accordance with Medicare rules. The contract says that the Plan covers certain dental services as a supplemental (extra) benefit. The contract lists the specific dental services that are covered. Core build up is not listed and therefore is not a covered service. You can find this information on pages 93 to 111 of the Plan's 2021 Evidence of Coverage (EOC).
Appeal type: unknown
Decision: unknown

The rules say that plans must pay for a medical service or item if regular Medicare would pay for it in this case. You can find this rule at 42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 422.101.
The rules say a health plan must disclose to its enrollees in clear, accurate terms all cost-sharing information (such as copayments, deductibles and coinsurance). You can find this rule at 42 CFR Section 422.111(a) and (b). The rules say that a copayment is a fixed amount charged to an enrollee on a per-service basis. The rules say that coinsurance is a fixed percentage of the total amount paid for a health care service that can be charged to an enrollee on a per-service basis. You can find this rule at 42 CFR Section 422.2.
If you want to read these Medicare rules, you can go to this website www.medicareappeal.com.
The Plan contract says that the Plan covers items and services in accordance with Medicare rules. The Plan contract says that enrollees must pay a $270 copayment per date of service regardless of the number of trips for non-emergency ground ambulance. You can find this information on pages 63-64 of the Plan's 2020 EOC.
Appeal type: unknown
Decision: unknown

The rules say that plans must pay for a medical service or item if regular Medicare would pay for it in this case. You can find this rule at 42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 422.101.
The rules state that a pneumatic compression device coded as E0652 is covered for the treatment of lymphedema extending onto the chest, trunk and/or abdomen when the beneficiary has lymphedema extending onto the chest, trunk and/or abdomen, coverage criteria for a basic compression pump are met and when the beneficiary has lymphedema extending onto the chest, trunk and/or abdomen that extends past the limits of a standard compression sleeve, and the chest, trunk and/or abdominal lymphedema has failed to improve with a four-week trial. You can find this information in the Local Coverage Determination (LCD): Pneumatic Compression Devices (L33829).
If you want to read these Medicare rules, you can go to this website www.medicareappeal.com.
The Plan contract says that the Plan covers items and services in accordance with Medicare rules.
Appeal type: unknown
Decision: unknown

The rules say that plans must pay for a medical service or item if regular Medicare would pay for it in this case. You can find this rule at 42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 422.101.
The rules say that Medicare will not pay for dental services. Dental services are items and services involving the care, treatment, filling, removal or replacement of teeth or structures directly supporting the teeth. Medicare defines "structures directly supporting the teeth" as the periodontium, which includes the gingivae, dentogingival junction, periodontal membrane, cementum of the teeth, and alveolar process. You can find this rule in the Social Security Act, Section 1862(a)(12) and in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Internet Only Manual, Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 15, Section 150.
If you want to read these Medicare rules, you can go to this website www.medicareappeal.com.
The Plan contract says that the Plan covers items and services in accordance with Medicare rules. The contract says that the Plan covers certain dental services as a supplemental (extra) benefit. The Plan contract says that services must be performed by a participating general dentist. You can find this information on page 68 of the Plan's 2021 Evidence of Coverage (EOC).
Appeal type: unknown
Decision: unknown

The rules say that plans must pay for a medical service or item if regular Medicare would pay for it in this case. You can find this rule at 42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 422.101.
The rules say that a Medicare plan may restrict members to a network of providers as long as medically necessary covered care is accessible and available through this network. The rules say that the Plan must arrange for specialty care outside of the Plan provider network when network providers are unavailable or inadequate to meet a member's medical needs. You can find this rule at 42 CFR Section 422.112(a)(3).
If you want to read these Medicare rules, you can go to this website www.medicareappeal.com.
The Plan contract says that the Plan covers items and services in accordance with Medicare rules. The Plan contract says that, with limited exceptions, members of the Plan must use network providers to get medical care and services. The only exceptions are emergencies, urgently needed care when the network is not available (generally, when the enrollee is out of the area), out-of-area dialysis services, and cases in which the Plan authorizes the use of out-of-network providers. You can find this information on page 15 of the 2021 Evidence of Coverage (EOC).
Appeal type: unknown
Decision: unknown

The rules say that plans must pay for a medical service or item if regular Medicare would pay for it in this case. You can find this rule at 42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 422.101.

The rules say that medically necessary services are those that are reasonable and necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of an illness or injury. Medically necessary services include services to improve the functioning of a malformed body member. You can find this rule in the Social Security Act, Section 1862(a)(1)(A). 

The rules say that services that are not medically necessary are not covered. The rules also say that experimental and investigational devices are not covered. You can find this rule at 42 CFR Sections 411.15 and 411.15(o). 

NMES involves the use of a device which transmits an electrical impulse to the skin over selected muscle groups by way of electrodes. There are two broad categories of NMES. One type of device stimulates the muscle when the patient is in a resting state to treat muscle atrophy. The second type is used to enhance functional activity of neurologically impaired patients. 

Treatment of Muscle Atrophy.

Coverage of NMES to treat muscle atrophy is limited to the treatment of disuse atrophy where nerve supply to the muscle is intact, including brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves, and other non-neurological reasons for disuse atrophy. Some examples would be casting or splinting of a limb, contracture due to scarring of soft tissue as in burn lesions, and hip replacement surgery (until orthotic training begins). (See 160.13 of the NCD Manual for an explanation of coverage of medically necessary supplies for the effective use of NMES.) Use for Walking in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI).

The type of NMES that is use to enhance the ability to walk of SCI patients is commonly referred to as functional electrical stimulation (FES). These devices are surface units that use electrical impulses to activate paralyzed or weak muscles in precise sequence. Coverage for the use of NMES/FES is limited to SCI patients for walking, who have completed a training program which consists of at least 32 physical therapy sessions with the device over a period of three months. The trial period of physical therapy will enable the physician treating the patient for his or her spinal cord injury to properly evaluate the person's ability to use these devices frequently and for the long term. Physical therapy necessary to perform this training must be directly performed by the physical therapist as part of a one-on-one training program. 

You can find this information in National Coverage Determination (NCD) for Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) (160.12).

If you want to read these Medicare rules, you can go to this website www.medicareappeal.com.

The Plan contract says that the Plan covers items and services in accordance with Medicare rules.
Appeal type: unknown
Decision: unknown

The rules say that plans must pay for a medical service or item if regular Medicare would pay for it in this case. You can find this rule at 42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 422.101.
The rules say that a Medicare plan may restrict members to a network of providers as long as medically necessary covered care is accessible and available through this network. The rules say that the Plan must arrange for specialty care outside of the Plan provider network when network providers are unavailable or inadequate to meet a member's medical needs. You can find this rule at 42 CFR Section 422.112(a)(3).
If you want to read these Medicare rules, you can go to this website www.medicareappeal.com.
The Plan contract says that the Plan covers items and services in accordance with Medicare rules. The Plan contract says that, with limited exceptions, members of the Plan must use network providers to get medical care and services. The only exceptions are emergencies, urgently needed care when the network is not available (generally, when the enrollee is out of the area), out-of-area dialysis services, and cases in which the Plan authorizes the use of out-of-network providers. You can find this information on page 42 of the Member Handbook.