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 currently covered indications include using MRA for specific conditions to evaluate flow in 
internal carotid vessels of the head and neck, peripheral arteries of lower extremities, abdomen and pelvis, and 
the chest. Coverage is limited to MRA units that have received FDA premarket approval, and such units must 
be operated within the parameters specified by the approval. In addition, the services must be reasonable and 
necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of the specific patient involved. 
  
a. Head and Neck Effective April 15, 2003, studies have proven that MRA is effective for evaluating flow in 
internal carotid vessels of the head and neck. However, not all potential applications of MRA have been shown 
to be reasonable and necessary. All of the following criteria must apply in order for Medicare to provide 
coverage for MRA of the head and neck:  
   MRA is used to evaluate the carotid arteries, the circle of Willis, the anterior, middle or posterior cerebral 
arteries, the vertebral or basilar arteries or the venous sinuses;  
   MRA is performed on patients with conditions of the head and neck for which surgery is anticipated and 
may be found to be appropriate based on the MRA. These conditions include, but are not limited to, tumor, 
aneurysms, vascular malformations, vascular occlusion or thrombosis. Within this broad category of disorders, 
medical necessity is the underlying determinant of the need for an MRA in specific diseases. The medical 
records should clearly justify and demonstrate the existence of medical necessity; and  
   MRA and CA are not expected to be performed on the same patient for diagnostic purposes prior to the 
application of anticipated therapy. Only one of these tests will be covered routinely unless the physician can 
demonstrate the medical need to perform both tests.  
 
b. Peripheral Arteries of Lower Extremities Effective April 15, 2003, have proven that MRA of peripheral 
arteries is useful in determining the presence and extent of peripheral vascular disease in lower extremities. 
This procedure is non-invasive and has been shown to find occult vessels in some patients for which those 
vessels were not apparent when CA was performed. Medicare will cover either MRA or CA to evaluate 
peripheral arteries of the lower extremities. However, both MRA and CA may be useful in some cases, such 
as:  
   A patient has had CA and this test was unable to identify a viable run-off vessel for bypass. When 
exploratory surgery is not believed to be a reasonable medical course of action for this patient, MRA may be performed to identify the viable runoff vessel; or  
   A patient has had MRA, but the results are inconclusive.  
 
c. Abdomen and Pelvis i. Pre-operative Evaluation of Patients Undergoing Elective Abdominal Aortic 
Aneurysm (AAA) Repair  
Effective July 1, 1999, MRA is covered for pre-operative evaluation of patients undergoing elective AAA 
repair if the scientific evidence reveals MRA is considered comparable to CA in determining the extent of 
AAA, as well as in evaluating aortoiliac occlusion disease and renal artery pathology that may be necessary in 
the surgical planning of AAA repair. These studies also reveal that MRA could provide a net benefit to the 
patient. If preoperative CA is avoided, then patients are not exposed to the risks associated with invasive 
procedures, contrast media, end-organ damage, or arterial injury.  
ii. Imaging the Renal Arteries and the Aortoiliac Arteries in the Absence of AAA or Aortic Dissection  
Effective July 1, 2003, MRA coverage is expanded to include imaging the renal arteries and the aortoiliac 
arteries in the absence of AAA or aortic dissection. MRA should be obtained in those circumstances in which 
using MRA is expected to avoid obtaining CA, when physician history, physical examination, and standard 
assessment tools provide insufficient information for patient management and obtaining an MRA has a high 
probability of positively affecting patient management. However, CA may be ordered after obtaining the 
results of an MRA in those rare instances where medical necessity is demonstrated.  
 
d. Chest i. Diagnosis of Pulmonary Embolism  
Current scientific data has shown that diagnostic pulmonary MRAs are improving due to recent developments 
such as faster imaging capabilities and gadolinium-enhancement. However, these advances in MRA are not 
significant enough to warrant replacement of pulmonary angiography in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism 
for patients who have no contraindication to receiving intravenous iodinated contrast material. Patients who are 
allergic to iodinated contrast material face a high risk of developing complications if they undergo pulmonary 
angiography or computed tomography angiography. Therefore, Medicare will cover MRA of the chest for 
diagnosing a suspected pulmonary embolism when it is contraindicated for the patient to receive intravascular 
iodinated contrast material.  
ii. Evaluation of Thoracic Aortic Dissection and Aneurysm  
Studies have shown that MRA of the chest has a high level of diagnostic accuracy for pre-operative and post-
operative evaluation of aortic dissection of aneurysm. Depending on the clinical presentation, MRA may be 
used as an alternative to other non-invasive imaging technologies, such as transesophageal echocardiography 
and CT. Generally, Medicare will provide coverage only for MRA or for CA when used as a diagnostic test. 
However, if both MRA and CA of the chest are used, the physician must demonstrate the medical need for 
performing these tests.  
 
You can find this rule at the Medicare National Coverage Determinations Manual, Chapter 1, Section 
220.2(B)(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.