Does K14.9 require prior authorization?

No, K14.9 does not require prior authorization (high confidence). Covered without prior authorization.

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`K14.9`, Disease of tongue, unspecified

ICD-10-CM

Prior Authorization

No Prior Auth Required

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

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K14.9, Disease of tongue, unspecified