Covered without prior authorization (high confidence)
Documentation Required
A legible medical record must document the condition, clinical findings, relevant prior treatment, and clearly justify the necessity and reasonableness of the lumbar MRI.
The documentation must clearly support the ICD-10-CM code(s) reported on the claim.
An attending or treating physician's order, properly signed and dated, is required for each lumbar MRI test.
Radiologists and ordering physicians must include sufficient clinical information in the MRI report to justify necessity; the MRI report or clinical record must document clinical findings and relevant prior treatment.
Key Coverage Criteria
Initial lumbar MRI is covered when the test is medically reasonable and necessary and the medical record documents clinical rationale and supports the ICD-10-CM code(s) billed.
A second lumbar MRI for the same patient is allowable when documentation shows comparative test results are needed to make a more definitive treatment decision.
Multiple scans of different body areas performed on the same day for the same patient are payable when each scan is reasonable and necessary.
The referring physician's medical record must support any contemplated diagnosis or treatment change derived from MRI findings and must be made available to the contractor upon request.
The contractor may request medical records from the referring physician if the radiologist's documentation does not validate that the service is reasonable and necessary.