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 the thermal radiofrequency destruction of cervical, thoracic, or lumbar paravertebral facet joint (medial branch) nerves are considered medically reasonable and necessary for patients who meet ALL the following criteria: a. Initial thermal RFA: i. After the patient has had at least two (2) medically reasonable and necessary diagnostic MBBs, with each one providing a consistent minimum of 80% sustained relief of primary (index) pain (with the duration of relief being consistent with the agent used) AND ii. Repeat thermal facet joint RFA at the same anatomic site is considered medically reasonable and necessary provided the patient had a minimum of consistent 50% improvement in pain for at least six (6) months or at least 50% consistent improvement in the ability to perform previously painful movements and ADLs as compared to baseline measurement using the same scale.  Non-thermal modalities for facet joint denervation including chemical, low-grade thermal energy (less than 80 degrees Celsius), laser neurolysis, and cryoablation are considered not reasonable and necessary. You can find this rule in the Local Coverage Determination for Facet Joint Interventions for Pain Management, L35936 (eff 04/25/21).  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, Publication 100-02, 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 Sections 422.2 and 422.136.  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 page 84 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.  A pneumatic compression device (PCD) coded as E0652 is covered for the treatment of lymphedema extending onto the chest, trunk and/or abdomen when all of the following are met:  1. The beneficiary has lymphedema of an extremity.  2. The coverage criteria for an E0650 or E0651 PCD are met.  3. 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.  A four-week trial of conservative therapy demonstrating failed response to treatment with an E0650 or E0651 is required. The four-week trial of conservative therapy must include all of the following:  - At least four weeks of regular, daily, multiple-hour home usage of the E0650 or E0651 PCD after careful, in-person fitting, training and supervision by a technician who is skilled in and who regularly and successfully uses the appliance provided - Compliant use of an appropriate compression bandage system or compression garment to provide adequate graduated compression - Regular exercise - Elevation where appropriate - Manual lymphatic drainage (where available) and self-manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) for at least 30 minutes per day - Evaluation of diet and implementation of any necessary change - Medications as appropriate (e.g. diuretics and/or other treatment of congestive failure, etc.) - Correction (where possible) of anemia and/or hypoproteinemia  You can find this information at 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, Publication 100-02, 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 says that a complete upper and lower denture (D5110 and D5120) are only covered one procedure every five plan years. You can find this information on pages 4-68 and 4-69 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 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, Publication 100-02, 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 says that a complete upper denture (D5110) is covered one procedure every five plan years. You can find this information on page 4-70 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 plans may choose the networks of providers available to enrollees and may require enrollees to obtain authorization before receiving services. You can find this rule at 42 CFR Section 422.112(a) and in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Internet Only Manual, Publication 100-16, Medicare Managed Care Manual, Chapter 1, Section 20.2.  If you want to read these Medicare rules, you can go to this website www.medicareappeal.com.  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, 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 9 of the Plans 2020 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 state that various polymers of hyaluronic acid have been approved and marketed as implanted prosthetic devices. The FDA has approved Viscosupplementation as a device. Medicare is allowing this nonpharmacologic therapy. The contractor expects the use of those drugs and biologicals not listed here to be medically necessary and used according to their FDA indications. This treatment will only be covered for the treatment of pain in osteoarthritis of the knee. All other uses will be denied as investigational. All procedures are furnished by and administered by a physician and/or appropriately trained providers in the appropriate setting. Documentation in the patient's medical record must support the patient failed to respond adequately over a three month period to a past history of treatment with analgesics and conservative nonpharmacological therapy (exercise or physical therapy, weight loss if appropriate, use of assistive devices). A radiological exam to support the clinical diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the knee will be available in the patient's medical record. Repeat treatments are considered medically necessary for patients being treated for osteoarthritis of the knee, who meet both of the following criteria: Significant improvement in knee pain and known improvement in functional capacity resulted from the previous series of injections which has been documented in the record; and At least six (6) months have elapsed since the last injection in the series. You can find these rules in the Local Coverage Article Billing and Coding Billing and Coding: Intraarticular Knee Injections of Hyaluronan, A56157.  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 53 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 the applicable payments made under the prospective payment systems are payment in full for all facility or hospital services, as defined in 42 CFR Section 409.10. CMS does not pay any provider or supplier other than the facility or hospital for services furnished to a beneficiary. The facility or hospital must furnish all necessary covered services to the beneficiary either directly or under arrangements (as defined in 42 CFR Section (409.3). You can see this in 42 CFR Section 412.50 - "Furnishing of inpatient hospital services directly or under arrangements."  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 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 20% coinsurance for each covered Medicare Part B drug. You can find this information in Chapter 4 on page 84 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 the reasonable useful lifetime for L1820 is one year. You can find this rule in the Local Coverage Article - Knee Orthoses - Policy Article (A52465) - Effective February 1, 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.
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 an inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) admission when the services are reasonable and medically necessary. The patient must require an intensive and coordinated interdisciplinary approach to providing rehabilitation. The patient must need active and ongoing treatment by more than one therapy discipline. One of the therapies must be physical therapy or occupational therapy. The patient must need and be expected to actively participate in and to benefit from an intensive rehabilitation therapy program. This intensive rehabilitation therapy program generally consists of at least three hours of therapy per day at least five days per week. The patient does not need to be expected to achieve complete independence in self-car nor be expected to return to his or her prior level of functioning. The patient must need supervision by a rehabilitation physician. The physician must see the patient at least three days per week throughout the stay. You can find these rules in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Internet Only Manual, Publication 100-02, Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 1, Sections 110.2 and 110.2.5 and at 42 CFR Section 412.622.  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 pays for up to 100 days of skilled care in a SNF in each benefit period. A benefit period begins upon admission to a hospital or SNF and ends after 60 days in a row without the patient receiving hospital or skilled SNF services. You can find this rule in the Social Security Act, Section 1862(a)(18), at 42 CFR Sections 409.60(a) and (b) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Internet Only Manual, Publication 100-01, Medicare General Information, Eligibility, and Entitlement Manual, Chapter 3, Section 10.4.  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 the Plan covers up to 100 days each benefit period for inpatient services in a Skilled Nursing Facility, in accordance with Medicare guidelines. A benefit period begins on the first day an enrollee goes into a covered inpatient hospital or Skilled Nursing Facility. The benefit period ends when the enrollee has not been an inpatient at any hospital or SNF for 60 days in a row. You can find this information in on pages 121 to 122 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 for purposes of payment under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), the Place of Service (POS) code is generally used to reflect the actual setting where the beneficiary receives the face to-face service. For example, if the physician's face-to-face encounter with a patient occurs in the office, the correct POS code on the claim, in general, reflects the 2-digit POS code 11 for office. If an independent lab bills, the place where the sample was taken is shown. You can find this information in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Internet Only Manual, Publication 100-04, Medicare Claims Processing Manual Chapter 26, Section 10.6.  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, Publication 100-02, 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 also includes a list of covered supplemental dental benefits. The pontics (D6245) and retainer crowns (D6740 and D6750) are not on this list and are not covered supplemental benefits. You can find this information in the Plan's 2021 Dental Contract.
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 pages 45-53 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 an initial thermal radiofrequency ablation of cervical, thoracic, or lumbar paravertebral facet joint (medial branch) nerves is considered medically reasonable and necessary for patients who have had at least two (2) medically reasonable and necessary diagnostic medial branch blocks, with each one providing a consistent minimum of 80% sustained relief of primary (index) pain (with the duration of relief being consistent with the agent used. You can find this rule in the Local Coverage Determination (LCD) - Facet Joint Interventions for Pain Management (L34892) - 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.