K14.9 — Disease of tongue, unspecified
ICD-10-CM
Prior Authorization
No Prior Auth Required
Code is covered without prior authorization (high confidence)
Documentation Required
- Clinical documentation should include reason for adjunctive brush sampling (eg, known or suspected Barrett's esophagus, surveillance vs screening context), endoscopic findings (extent of columnar-lined esophagus / Prague C&M when relevant), and prior history of dysplasia or ablation when interpreting WATS results (multiple study limitations cite the need to record prior history).
- For oral lesions: documentation of clinical examination (visual and palpation findings), risk factors (eg, tobacco/alcohol use), whether lesion is "clinically suspicious" or "benign-appearing," and any subsequent scalpel/punch biopsy results (since scalpel biopsy is the gold standard) is required to properly interpret brush cytology.
- Pathology reconciliation: where WATS and forceps biopsy disagree, pathology re-review or central expert confirmation is often performed or recommended in studies (eg, discrepant cases reviewed by central pathologists or follow-up biopsies).
Key Coverage Criteria
- None listed as covered. The policy states the procedures described below are considered experimental and investigational and therefore not established as effective.
- Adjunctive use of wide-area transepithelial sampling with computer-assisted 3-dimensional analysis (WATS-3D) with forceps biopsies (FB) in patients with known or suspected Barrett's esophagus (BE) for detection of intestinal metaplasia (IM), dysplasia (including low-grade dysplasia [LGD] and high-grade dysplasia [HGD]), and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). (Multiple studies described adjunctive increased yield when WATS-3D was added to FB.)
- Evaluation of WATS-3D as a standalone substitute for 4-quadrant random forceps biopsies in surveillance of Barrett's esophagus (studied in randomized multicenter trials; no statistically significant difference for HGD/EAC detection as a single modality in at least one enriched BE population).
- Use of WATS-3D as an adjunct to forceps biopsies (FB) to increase detection yield of intestinal metaplasia (IM) and dysplasia (including crypt dysplasia (CD), indefinite for dysplasia (IND), low-grade dysplasia (LGD), high-grade dysplasia (HGD) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC)) in patients with known or suspected Barrett's esophagus.
- Use of WATS-3D adjunctively to detect residual or recurrent intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia following endoscopic ablation of Barrett's esophagus (reported in cited studies/registries).
- Use of WATS-3D for detection of HGD/EAC in populations enriched for dysplasia (as examined in randomized and observational studies), including surveillance post-endoscopic eradication therapy (EET).
2 Active Policies
AETNA-CPB-0686 — Oral and Esophageal Brush Biopsy
AETNA-CPB-0760 — Oral Screening and Lesion Identification Systems
Related Codes
Have a follow-up question?
Ask Verity about documentation requirements, denial risks, or coverage in your state.