ASA Opposes Adoption of Noridian’s Proposed Non-Coverage of CPT Codes
Chicago —
(August 31, 2009)
ASA has submitted comments to Noridian Administrative Services, a Medicare Part B Contractor, in responses to its proposals to include lumbar facet blocks (CPT® codes 64475, 64476) and denervation procedures (CPT® codes 64622, 64623) on its listing of non-covered services. The letter states that “It is the opinion of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) that the proposed non-coverage of facet therapies will inappropriately obstruct access by Medicare clients to treatment options that have proven valuable to patients and have been validated as appropriate care by both evidence in the scientific literature and expert opinion. The ASA does not believe that scientific evidence exists to support this abrupt decision to effectively terminate access to this care option by patients with debilitating, chronic low back pain.”
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS
Anesthesiologists: Physicians providing the lifeline of modern medicine. Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists is an educational, research and scientific association with 46,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology and improve the care of the patient.
For more information on the field of anesthesiology, visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists Web site at www.asahq.org. For patient information, visit LifeLineToModernMedicine.com
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