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.  
  
Cervical traction devices (E0840, E0849, E0850, E0855 and E0860) are covered
only if both of the following criteria are met:

  1. The beneficiary has a musculoskeletal or neurologic impairment requiring traction equipment; and
  2. The appropriate use of a home cervical traction device has been demonstrated to the beneficiary and the beneficiary tolerated the selected device.

If criteria 1 and 2 are not met, cervical traction will be denied as not
reasonable and necessary.  
  
Cervical traction applied via attachment to a headboard (E0840) or a free-
standing frame (E0850) has no proven clinical advantage compared to cervical
traction applied via an over-the-door mechanism (E0860). If an E0840 or E0850
is ordered, it will be denied as not reasonable and necessary.  
  
Cervical traction devices described by code E0849 or E0855 are covered only
when criteria 1 and 2 above and either criterion A, B or C below has been met:

  1. The beneficiary has a diagnosis of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction; and has received treatment for the TMJ condition; or,
  2. The beneficiary has distortion of the lower jaw or neck anatomy (e.g., radical neck dissection) such that a chin halter is unable to be utilized; or,
  3. The treating practitioner orders and/or documents the medical necessity for greater than 20 pounds of cervical traction in the home setting.

If the criteria for cervical traction are met but the additional criteria for
E0849 or E0855 are not met, they will be denied as not reasonable and
necessary.  
  
E0856 describes a cervical traction device that can be used with ambulation.
Therefore, it will be denied as not reasonable and 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.