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 determination of the type of knee for the prosthesis will be made by the treating 
practitioner and/or the prosthetist based upon the functional needs of the beneficiary. Basic lower extremity 
prostheses include a single axis, constant friction knee. Other prosthetic knees are considered for coverage 
based upon functional classification. 
 
A high activity knee control frame (L5930) is covered for beneficiaries whose functional level is 4. 
 
A fluid, pneumatic, or electronic/microprocessor knee (L5610, L5613, L5614, L5722, L5724, L5726, L5728, 
L5780, L5814, L5822, L5824, L5826, L5828, L5830, L5840, L5848, L5856, L5857, L5858) is covered for 
beneficiaries whose functional level is 3 or above. You can find this rule in the Local Coverage Determination 
(LCD) Lower Limb Prostheses L33787. 
 
The rules say that addition codes for endoskeletal knee-shin systems are L5610, L5611, L5613, L5616, L5810, 
L5811, L5812, L5814, L5816, L5818, L5822, L5824, L5826, L5828, L5830, L5840 are considered an upgrade 
to the knee-shin system. The beneficiary may qualify for an upgraded knee-shin system based on their assigned 
K-Level modifier (K0-K4), as referenced in the LCD. These HCPCS codes can fully describe a complete 
prosthetic knee-shin system commonly referred to as a base knee code. A single addition code can fully 
describe a complete knee-shin system and thus the use of two codes (L5610, L5611, L5613, L5616, L5810, 
L5811, L5812, L5814, L5816, L5818, L5822, L5824, L5826, L5828, L5830, L5840) would be considered 
incorrect coding (unbundling). 
 
L5925, L5930, L5845, L5848, L5850, L5856, L5857, L5858, L5859 are additional features and/or functions 
that do not describe a complete endoskeletal knee-shin system and must be used in combination with an L-code 
for a knee-shin system (L5610, L5611, L5613, L5616, L5810, L5811, L5812, L5814, L5816, L5818, L5822, 
L5824, L5826, L5828, L5830, L5840). The use of additional feature L-codes may also depend on the assigned 
K-Level modifier (K0-K4), as referenced in the LCD. 
 
 
 L5856 refers to a feature of an endoskeletal knee component which is incorporated into the entire knee-shin 
system. The microprocessor componentry with sensors, any type, provide automated adjustment for controlling 
the swing and stance phase of gait. This feature would be discernable from schematic drawings and user 
manual documentation. The documentation would provide details for all of the adjustments for the dynamic 
properties of this sub-system within the knee component. Adjustments could factor user characteristics such as 
the activity level, body weight, or gait preferences, among others. This adjustment feature is energized by an 
on-board rechargeable battery source. The code would include any external components needed to access the 
microprocessor for modification of the settings. You can find this rule in the Local Coverage Article Lower 
Limb Prostheses - Policy Article A52496. 
 
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.