A9500 — Technetium tc-99m sestamibi, diagnostic, per study dose
HCPCS/CPT
Prior Authorization
No Prior Auth Required
Code is covered without prior authorization (high confidence)
Medicare Pricing
Work RVU
0.00
Facility
N/A
Non-Facility
N/A
Documentation Required
- Claims for stress tests performed as preoperative evaluation of asymptomatic, moderate-risk patients must include medical record documentation of at least one of: diabetes mellitus with complications; peripheral vascular disease; aortic aneurysm; or cerebrovascular disease.
- The patient's medical record must include the ordering provider's assessment related to the patient's complaint for that visit.
- The medical record must include relevant medical history and results of pertinent tests and procedures.
- Office visit records and operative reports must be signed and dated; all services ordered or rendered to Medicare beneficiaries must be signed.
Key Coverage Criteria
- Preoperative cardiac stress testing with radionuclide imaging for asymptomatic patients deemed at moderate risk is covered only if the medical record documents at least one of the following: diabetes mellitus with complications; peripheral vascular disease; aortic aneurysm; or cerebrovascular disease.
- For services that require a referring or ordering physician, the claim must report the referring/ordering physician's name and NPI.
- Claims must include a valid ICD-10-CM diagnosis code that best describes the patient's condition for which the service was performed; otherwise the claim will be returned as incomplete under SSA Section 1833(e).
- For diagnostic tests, the claim should report the test result if known, otherwise report the symptoms that prompted the test.
- If a service is likely to be non-covered, an Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN) may be used and the appropriate modifier (GA, GX, GY, or GZ) should be appended to the claim as applicable.
- Cardiovascular nuclear medicine testing is reimbursable for risk assessment or re-evaluation in asymptomatic patients or patients with stable symptoms who have known atherosclerotic heart disease on catheterization or SPECT perfusion imaging, provided the patient has not undergone a revascularization procedure within the prior 2 years.
14 Active Policies
A56743 — Billing and Coding: Cardiovascular Nuclear Medicine
J06
L33560 — Cardiovascular Nuclear Medicine
J06
L33693 — Peripheral Venous Ultrasound
J09
A53252 — Billing and Coding: Independent Diagnostic Testing Facility (IDTF)
J12
L35007 — Vestibular and Audiologic Function Studies
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