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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. 
 
  
  Medicare rules state: 
1. Epidural steroid injection (ESI) will be considered medically reasonable and necessary when the 
following requirements are met: 
o History, physical examination, and concordant radiological image-based diagnostic testing that 
supports one of the following: 
 Lumbar, cervical or thoracic radiculopathy, radicular pain and/or neurogenic 
claudication due to disc herniation, osteophyte or osteophyte complexes, severe 
degenerative disc disease, producing foraminal or central spinal stenosis
 
OR 
 Post-laminectomy syndrome, OR 
 Acute herpes zoster associated pain. 
AND 
  
o Radiculopathy, radicular pain and/or neurogenic claudication is severe enough to greatly impact 
quality of life or function. An objective pain scale or functional assessment must be performed 
at baseline (prior to interventions). The same scale* must be used at each follow-up for 
assessment of response. 
AND 
  
o Pain duration of at least four (4) weeks, and the inability to tolerate noninvasive conservative 
care or medical documentation of failure to respond to four (4) weeks of noninvasive 
conservative care or acute herpes zoster refractory to conservative management where a four (4) 
week wait is not required. 
2. The ESIs must be performed under computed tomography (CT) or fluoroscopy image guidance with 
contrast
 
unless the patient has a documented contrast allergy or pregnancy where ultrasound guidance 
without contrast may be considered. 
3. Transforaminal ESIs (TFESIs) involving a maximum of two (2) levels in one spinal region are 
considered medically reasonable and necessary. It is important to recognize that most conditions would 
not ordinarily require ESI at two (2) levels in one spinal region. 
4. Caudal ESIs and interlaminar ESIs (ILESIs) involving a maximum of one level are considered 
medically reasonable and necessary. 
5. It is considered medically reasonable and necessary to perform TFESIs bilaterally only when clinically 
indicated. 
6. Repeat ESI when the first injection directly and significantly provided improvement of the condition 
being treated may be considered medically reasonable and necessary when the medical record 
documents at least 50% of sustained improvement in pain relief and/or improvement in function 
measured from baseline using SAME scale* for at least three months.
 
If a patient fails to respond well 
to the initial ESI, a repeat ESI after 14 days can be performed using a different approach, level and/or 
medication, if appropriate, with the rationale and medical necessity for the second ESI documented in 
the medical record. 
7. An initial injection of contrast is required to confirm epidural placement, unless the patient has a 
contraindication to contrast. The subsequent ESI should include corticosteroids and may be combined 
with anesthetics or saline. 
8. The ESIs should be performed in conjunction with conservative treatments. 
9. Patients should be part of an active rehabilitation program, home exercise program or functional 
restoration program. 
You can find this rule in the Medicare Local Coverage Determination (LCD)- L36920, Epidural Steroid 
Injections for Pain Management.