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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 facet joint interventions are considered medically reasonable and necessary for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain in patients who meet ALL of the following criteria: 1. Moderate to severe chronic neck or low back pain, predominantly axial, that causes functional deficit measured on pain or disability scale, and 2. Pain that has been present for a minimum of 3 months with documented failure to respond to noninvasive conservative care management (as tolerated), and 3. Absence of untreated radiculopathy or neurogenic claudication (except for radiculopathy caused by facet joint synovial cyst) 4. There is no non-facet pathology per clinical assessment or radiology studies that could explain the source of the patient's pain, including but not limited to fracture, tumor, infection, or significant deformity. You can find this rule in Local Coverage Determination (LCD): Facet Joint Interventions for Pain Management (L33930) - Effective April 25, 2021. The rules say that a second confirmatory diagnostic facet joint procedure is considered medically reasonable and necessary in patients who meet BOTH of the following criteria: 1. The patient meets the criteria for the first diagnostic procedure; AND 2. After the first diagnostic facet joint procedure, there must be a consistent positive response of at least 80% relief of primary (index) pain (with the duration of relief being consistent with the agent used) You can find this rule in Local Coverage Determination (LCD): Facet Joint Interventions for Pain Management (L33930) - Effective April 25, 2021.The rules say that facet joint interventions are considered medically reasonable and necessary for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain in patients who meet ALL of the following criteria: 1. Moderate to severe chronic neck or low back pain, predominantly axial, that causes functional deficit measured on pain or disability scale, and 2. Pain that has been present for a minimum of 3 months with documented failure to respond to noninvasive conservative care management (as tolerated), and 3. Absence of untreated radiculopathy or neurogenic claudication (except for radiculopathy caused by facet joint synovial cyst)
4. There is no non-facet pathology per clinical assessment or radiology studies that could explain the source of the patient's pain, including but not limited to fracture, tumor, infection, or significant deformity. You can find this rule in Local Coverage Determination (LCD): Facet Joint Interventions for Pain Management (L33930) - Effective April 25, 2021. The rules say that a second confirmatory diagnostic facet joint procedure is considered medically reasonable and necessary in patients who meet BOTH of the following criteria: 1. The patient meets the criteria for the first diagnostic procedure; AND 2. After the first diagnostic facet joint procedure, there must be a consistent positive response of at least 80% relief of primary (index) pain (with the duration of relief being consistent with the agent used) You can find this rule in Local Coverage Determination (LCD): Facet Joint Interventions for Pain Management (L33930) - Effective April 25, 2021.
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.