Spinal Cord Stimulators for Chronic Pain

Spinal cord stimulators are covered for chronic, intractable neuropathic pain and may have limited coverage for certain severe nociceptive pain cases after conservative treatments and multidisciplinary screening including psychological evaluation. Coverage requires a successful temporary trial (defined as ≥50% pain reduction or ≥50% analgesic reduction with functional improvement) before permanent implantation, with reimbursement limits of up to 2 leads/16 contacts and a maximum of two trials per anatomic spinal region per patient per lifetime; replacements for device end-of-life or malfunction do not require a repeat trial.

"Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) may be covered for chronic, intractable neuropathic pain as a therapy to relieve chronic intractable pain."

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