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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. 
 
The rules state that an epidural steroid injection (ESI) will be considered medically reasonable and necessary 
when the following three (3) requirements are met: 
 
History, physical examination, and concordant radiological image-based diagnostic testing supporting one of 
the following: 
1.  
 
- 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 
 
- 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 repeated at each follow-
up for assessment of response.  
AND 
 
- 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 epidural steroid injections (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 epidural steroid injections (CESIs) and interlaminar epidural steroid injections (ILESIs) involving a 
maximum of one level are considered medically reasonable and necessary.  
5. It is 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 epidural steroid injections 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. 
 
*Note: The scales used to measure of pain and/or disability must be documented in the medical record. 
Acceptable scales include but are not limited to verbal rating scales, Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) and Visual 
Analog Scale (VAS) for pain assessment, and Pain Disability Assessment Scale (PDAS), Oswestry Disability 
Index (ODI), Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire (OSW), Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale 
(QUE), Roland Morris Pain Scale, Back Pain Functional Scale (BPFS), and the PROMIS profile domains to 
assess function. 
 
You can find this information in the Local Coverage Determination (LCD):  Epidural Steroid Injections for 
Pain Management (L39015). 
 
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.