TENS Coding Procedure. TENS Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) is a trusted, clinically-proven, noninvasive therapy used for the management of, and relief from, chronic (long-term) intractable pain and post-surgical and post-trauma acute pain.
The practitioner ordering the Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulators (TENS) unit and related supplies must be the treating practitioner for the disease or condition justifying the need for the TENS unit.
TENS is covered for acute post-operative pain. Coverage is limited to 30 days (one month's rental) from the day of surgery. Payment will be made only as a rental. A TENS unit will be denied as not reasonable and necessary for acute pain (less than three months duration) other than for post-operative pain.
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) Devices, HCPCS E0720 and E0730, are challenging items to get paid. According to recent information from RemitDATA, TENS units have a 42.9 percent denial rate. That means nearly half of all claims that are submitted are getting denied. Why is that?
All TENs unit supplies must be billed using HCPCS Procedure Code "A4595."
Aetna considers transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulators (TENS) medically necessary durable medical equipment (DME) when used as an adjunct or as an alternative to the use of drugs either in the treatment of acute post-operative pain in the first 30 days after surgery, or for certain types of chronic, intractable ...
Insurance may cover a TENS unit if the treatments are medically necessary. You can buy a TENS unit without a prescription. But, you may need documentation from your doctor to get your insurance to cover it.
TENS may be able to help reduce pain and muscle spasms caused by a wide range of conditions including: arthritis. period pain. pelvic pain caused by endometriosis.
As a final and particularly important point on costs, you can purchase an OTC TENS unit using your FSA or HSA funds.
Traditional Medicare does cover spinal cord stimulators, and the procedures to implant them in the body. Because the science behind spinal cord stimulators is sound, Medicare is willing and able to cover the procedure and its hardware for those that qualify.
The use of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) for the relief of acute post-operative pain is covered under Medicare. TENS may be covered whether used as an adjunct to the use of drugs, or as an alternative to drugs, in the treatment of acute pain resulting from surgery.
Once you've chosen the best TENS unit for your needs, you're able to buy it over the counter (OTC) or online without a prescription. Amazon, Walmart and Target sell a range of machines at varying prices, or take a trip to your local pharmacy to see what they have available.
Zynex will bill your health insurance company for the monthly rental and/or purchase of the NexWave device. Monthly supplies will be shipped to you and billed to your insurance company. Depending on your insurance coverage, you may be responsible for an unmet deductible and/or co-insurance amounts.
Table 1.Conventional TENS (low-intensity, high-frequency)Acupuncture-like TENS (high-intensity, low-frequency)Intense TENS (high-intensity, high-frequency)
The main difference Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) machines stimulate the nerves exclusively for the purpose of relieving pain, whereas Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) machines are designed to stimulate the muscles for the purposes of strengthening and rehabilitating them.
A standard TENS unit typically delivers a low-frequency (<50 Hz) alternating current to a focused treatment area. Due to the nature of low-frequency, however, these signals have a low capacity to overcome skin resistance – resulting in these units only providing pain relief via the Gate Control Theory while being worn.
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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.
Contractors may specify Bill Types to help providers identify those Bill Types typically used to report this service. Absence of a Bill Type does not guarantee that the article does not apply to that Bill Type.
Contractors may specify Revenue Codes to help providers identify those Revenue Codes typically used to report this service. In most instances Revenue Codes are purely advisory. Unless specified in the article, services reported under other Revenue Codes are equally subject to this coverage determination.
When used for the treatment of chronic, intractable pain described in section II, the TENS unit must be used by the member on a trial basis for a minimum of one month (30 days), but not to exceed two months. The trial period will be paid as a rental. The trial period must be monitored by the physician to determine the effectiveness of the TENS unit in modulating the pain. For coverage of a purchase, the physician must determine that the member is likely to derive significant therapeutic benefit from continuous use of the unit over a long period of time.
TENS is covered for acute post-operative pain. Coverage is limited to 30 days (one month's rental) from the day of surgery. Payment will be made only as a rental.
The No. 2 denial is CO50 - These are non-covered services because this is not deemed a “medical necessity” by the payer. There are specific rules within the medical policy regarding the rental and purchase of a TENS device that both intake and billing personnel must be aware of.
A TENS unit will be denied as not medically necessary for acute pain (less than three months' duration) other than post-operative pain. When used for the treatment of chronic, intractable pain, the TENS unit must be used by the patient on a trial basis for a minimum of one month (30 days), but not exceeding two months.
The CMN may act as a substitute for a written order if it contains all the required elements of an order. The CMN for TENS is CMS Form 848 (DME Form 06.03B). The initial claim must include an electronic copy of the CMN. (A CMN is not needed for a TENS rental.)
Examples of conditions for which a TENS unit is not considered to be medically necessary include (but are not limited to): headache, visceral abdominal pain, pelvic pain and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain.
The trial period will be paid as a rental. The trial period must be monitored by the physician to determine the effectiveness of the TENS unit in modulating the pain. For coverage of a purchase, the physician must determine that the patient is likely to derive significant therapeutic benefit from continuous use of the unit over a long period ...
Without this knowledge, claims will be sent without meeting the rent-to-purchase guidelines. A TENS must be used for a trial (rental) period before the purchase can be made. There are two scenarios under which a TENS would be prescribed in Medicare's eyes: 1) for acute post-operative pain, and 2) for chronic pain.