For any item to be covered by Medicare, it must 1) be eligible for a defined
Medicare benefit category, 2) be reasonable and necessary for the diagnosis or
treatment of illness or injury or to improve the functioning of a malformed
body member, and 3) meet all other applicable Medicare statutory and
regulatory requirements.  
  
The purpose of a Local Coverage Determination (LCD) is to provide information
regarding "reasonable and necessary" criteria based on Social Security Act 
1862(a)(1)(A) provisions.  
  
In addition to the "reasonable and necessary" criteria contained in this LCD
there are other payment rules, which are discussed in the following documents,
that must also be met prior to Medicare reimbursement:

  * The LCD-related Standard Documentation Requirements Article, located at the bottom of this policy under the Related Local Coverage Documents section.
  * The LCD-related Policy Article, located at the bottom of this policy under the Related Local Coverage Documents section.
  * Refer to the Supplier Manual for additional information on documentation requirements.
  * Refer to the DME MAC web sites for additional bulletin articles and other publications related to this LCD.

  
For the items addressed in this LCD, the "reasonable and necessary" criteria,
based on Social Security Act  1862(a)(1)(A) provisions, are defined by the
following coverage indications, limitations and/or medical necessity.  
  
Refer to the Nonmedical Necessity Coverage and Payment Rules section of the
related Policy Article for information about the statutory coverage
requirements for tracheostomy supplies.  
  
A tracheostomy care or cleaning starter kit (A4625) is covered following an
open surgical tracheostomy. Beginning two weeks post-operatively, code A4625
is no longer medically necessary and, if that code is billed, will be denied
as not reasonable and necessary.  
  
The table below lists the maximum number of items/units of service that are
usually reasonable and necessary. The actual quantity needed for a particular
beneficiary may be more or less than the amount listed depending on clinical
factors that affect the frequency of supply changes.  
  
The explanation for use of a greater quantity of supplies than the amounts
listed must be clearly documented in the beneficiary's medical record. If
adequate documentation is not provided when requested, the excess quantities
will be denied as not reasonable and necessary.  
  
 **USUAL MAXIMUM QUANTITY OF SUPPLIES:**

Code

|

# per Month(unless noted)  
  
---|---  
  
A4364

|

4  
  
A4402

|

4  
  
A4450

|

40  
  
A4452

|

40  
  
A4456

|

50  
  
A4481

|

62  
  
A4623

|

62  
  
A4625

|

31  
  
A4626

|

2  
  
A4629

|

31  
  
A5120

|

150  
  
A7501

|

1  
  
A7502

|

1  
  
A7503

|

1 per 6 months  
  
A7504

|

62  
  
A7505

|

2 per 3 months  
  
A7506

|

62  
  
A7507

|

62  
  
A7508

|

62  
  
A7509

|

62  
  
A7520

|

1 per 3 months  
  
A7521

|

1 per 3 months  
  
A7522

|

1 per 12 months  
  
A7524

|

1 per 3 months  
  
A7526

|

31  
  
A7527

|

2 per 3 months  
  
  
A7523 is a convenience item and therefore not covered. Claims for A7523 will
be denied as not reasonable and necessary.  
  
A7527 (Tracheostomy/laryngectomy tube plug/stop) is used as an alternative to
a tracheostomy/laryngectomy tube and therefore for a beneficiary receiving
A7527 claims for A7520, A7521 and A7522 will be denied as not reasonable or
necessary.  
  
  
GENERAL

A Standard Written Order (SWO) must be communicated to the supplier before a
claim is submitted. If the supplier bills for an item addressed in this policy
without first receiving a completed SWO, the claim shall be denied as not
reasonable and necessary.

For Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS)
base items that require a Written Order Prior to Delivery (WOPD), the supplier
must have received a signed SWO before the DMEPOS item is delivered to a
beneficiary. If a supplier delivers a DMEPOS item without first receiving a
WOPD, the claim shall be denied as not reasonable and necessary. Refer to the
LCD-related Policy Article, located at the bottom of this policy under the
Related Local Coverage Documents section

For DMEPOS base items that require a WOPD, and also require separately billed
associated options, accessories, and/or supplies, the supplier must have
received a WOPD which lists the base item and which may list all the
associated options, accessories, and/or supplies that are separately billed
prior to the delivery of the items. In this scenario, if the supplier
separately bills for associated options, accessories, and/or supplies without
first receiving a completed and signed WOPD of the base item prior to
delivery, the claim(s) shall be denied as not reasonable and necessary.

An item/service is correctly coded when it meets all the coding guidelines
listed in CMS HCPCS guidelines, LCDs, LCD-related Policy Articles, or DME MAC
articles. Claims that do not meet coding guidelines shall be denied as not
reasonable and necessary/incorrectly coded.

Proof of delivery (POD) is a Supplier Standard and DMEPOS suppliers are
required to maintain POD documentation in their files. Proof of delivery
documentation must be made available to the Medicare contractor upon request.
All services that do not have appropriate proof of delivery from the supplier
shall be denied as not reasonable and necessary.

  
REFILL REQUIREMENTS  
  
For DMEPOS items and supplies provided on a recurring basis, billing must be
based on prospective, not retrospective use. For DMEPOS products that are
supplied as refills to the original order, suppliers must contact the
beneficiary, and document an affirmative response, prior to dispensing the
refill and not automatically ship on a pre-determined basis, even if
authorized by the beneficiary. This shall be done to ensure that the refilled
item remains reasonable and necessary, existing supplies are expected to end,
and to confirm any changes or modifications to the order. Contact with the
beneficiary or designee regarding refills must take place no sooner than 30
calendar days prior to the expected end of the current supply. For delivery of
refills, the supplier must deliver the DMEPOS product no sooner than 10
calendar days prior to the expected end of the current supply. This is
regardless of which delivery method is utilized.  
  
For all DMEPOS items that are provided on a recurring basis, suppliers are
required to have contact with the beneficiary or caregiver/designee and
document an affirmative response, prior to dispensing a new supply of items.
Suppliers must not deliver refills without a refill request and an affirmative
response from a beneficiary. Items delivered without a valid, documented
refill request will be denied as not reasonable and necessary.  
  
Suppliers must not dispense a quantity of supplies exceeding a beneficiary's
expected utilization. Suppliers must stay attuned to changed or atypical
utilization patterns on the part of their clients. Suppliers must verify with
the treating practitioners  that any changed or atypical utilization is
warranted.  
  
Regardless of utilization, a supplier must not dispense more than a 1-month
supply at a time for a beneficiary in a nursing facility and a 3-month supply
for a beneficiary at home.  
  
For information on tracheal suction catheters and related supplies, see the
Suction Pump policy.

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