PA Lookup
If you have questions about prior authorizations, please call:
Member and Recipient Service Line: 1-877-685-2415
Provider Support Service Line: 1-855-250-1539
Surgery for Clinically Clinical Severe or Morbid Obesity
Surgery for clinically severe or morbid obesity is performed for long-term surgical weight loss management. This may result in improvement of the co-morbidities of obesity. The goal of the surgery is to reduce the morbidity associated with obesity, and to improve metabolic and organ function. Surgery for clinically severe or morbid obesity (referred to as a bariatric surgical procedure for the purpose of this policy) falls into two general categories: a. gastric-restrictive procedures which create a small gastric pouch resulting in weight loss by producing early satiety and thus decreasing dietary intake because the amount of food that can be eaten at one time is greatly reduced; and b. malabsorptive procedures, which produce weight loss due to malabsorption by altering the normal transit of ingested food through the intestinal tract. Following a malabsorption procedure, the number of calories, fats and nutrients that can be absorbed during digestion is reduced. Some bariatric surgical procedures have both a restrictive and a malabsorptive component.
Limits
The beneficiary must have met all bariatric surgery criteria for the past 12 calendar months prior to the request for surgery.
Required dietician or nutritionist comprehensive evaluation must occur within the past six calendar months before the surgery request and must be face-to-face, not in a group setting.
Required psychological evaluation must document the past six calendar months.
Medical treatment for obesity must have been unsuccessful for the past 12 calendar months prior to the request, including at least three calendar months of treatment provided or supervised by a medical provider.
Monthly encounter notes are required during the supervised treatment period.
Exclusions
Medicaid shall not cover the following:
- 1. Jejunoileal bypass;
- 2. Biliopancreatic diversion with or without duodenal switch for a
beneficiary with a BMI < 50 kg/m2;
- 3. Gastric wrapping;
- 4. Adjustable gastric banding for a beneficiary with a BMI > 50 kg/m2;
- 5. Jejunocolostomy;
- 6. Mini-gastric bypass;
- 7. Open sleeve gastrectomy;
- 8. Gastric bypass with roux limb greater than 150 cm for a beneficiary with
a BMI less than 55 kg/m2.;
- 9. Bariatric surgical procedures for a beneficiary with a BMI less than 35
kg/m2;
- 10. Gastric electrical stimulation;
- 11. Revision of a primary bariatric surgical procedure when the beneficiary
does not meet the criteria in Subsection 3.2.4;
- 12. Staged procedures; or
- 13. Cosmetic surgery: Weight loss following bariatric surgical procedures
can result in skin and fat folds in locations such as the medial upper arms, lower abdominal area, and medial thighs. Surgical removal of this skin and fat for solely cosmetic purposes is not covered.
Medicaid shall not cover a bariatric surgical procedure or a beneficiary who is:
- 1. a preadolescent child,
- 2. a pregnant or breast-feeding adult or adolescent
- 3. planning to become pregnant within two years of surgery; or
- 4. not demonstrating mastery of the principles of healthy dietary and
activity habits.
The following conditions are contraindications to a bariatric surgical procedure, and approval cannot be granted until there is health record documentation that the conditions are resolved:
- 1. untreated major depression or psychosis;
- 2. binge-eating disorders; or
- 3. current drug and alcohol abuse.
Age Group Details
18 years of age and older; beneficiaries under 18 are considered on a case-by-case basis under EPSDT
Place of Service
Inpatient Hospital, Outpatient Hospital, Ambulatory Surgical Centers.
How to Submit
N/A - No authorization is required
Resources
Surgery for Clinically Clinical Severe or Morbid Obesity
Surgery for clinically severe or morbid obesity is performed for long-term surgical weight loss management. This may result in improvement of the co-morbidities of obesity. The goal of the surgery is to reduce the morbidity associated with obesity, and to improve metabolic and organ function. Surgery for clinically severe or morbid obesity (referred to as a bariatric surgical procedure for the purpose of this policy) falls into two general categories: a. gastric-restrictive procedures which create a small gastric pouch resulting in weight loss by producing early satiety and thus decreasing dietary intake because the amount of food that can be eaten at one time is greatly reduced; and b. malabsorptive procedures, which produce weight loss due to malabsorption by altering the normal transit of ingested food through the intestinal tract. Following a malabsorption procedure, the number of calories, fats and nutrients that can be absorbed during digestion is reduced. Some bariatric surgical procedures have both a restrictive and a malabsorptive component.
Limits
The beneficiary must have met all bariatric surgery criteria for the past 12 calendar months prior to the request for surgery.
Required dietician or nutritionist comprehensive evaluation must occur within the past six calendar months before the surgery request and must be face-to-face, not in a group setting.
Required psychological evaluation must document the past six calendar months.
Medical treatment for obesity must have been unsuccessful for the past 12 calendar months prior to the request, including at least three calendar months of treatment provided or supervised by a medical provider.
Monthly encounter notes are required during the supervised treatment period.
Exclusions
Medicaid shall not cover the following:
- 1. Jejunoileal bypass;
- 2. Biliopancreatic diversion with or without duodenal switch for a
beneficiary with a BMI < 50 kg/m2;
- 3. Gastric wrapping;
- 4. Adjustable gastric banding for a beneficiary with a BMI > 50 kg/m2;
- 5. Jejunocolostomy;
- 6. Mini-gastric bypass;
- 7. Open sleeve gastrectomy;
- 8. Gastric bypass with roux limb greater than 150 cm for a beneficiary with
a BMI less than 55 kg/m2.;
- 9. Bariatric surgical procedures for a beneficiary with a BMI less than 35
kg/m2;
- 10. Gastric electrical stimulation;
- 11. Revision of a primary bariatric surgical procedure when the beneficiary
does not meet the criteria in Subsection 3.2.4;
- 12. Staged procedures; or
- 13. Cosmetic surgery: Weight loss following bariatric surgical procedures
can result in skin and fat folds in locations such as the medial upper arms, lower abdominal area, and medial thighs. Surgical removal of this skin and fat for solely cosmetic purposes is not covered.
Medicaid shall not cover a bariatric surgical procedure or a beneficiary who is:
- 1. a preadolescent child,
- 2. a pregnant or breast-feeding adult or adolescent
- 3. planning to become pregnant within two years of surgery; or
- 4. not demonstrating mastery of the principles of healthy dietary and
activity habits.
The following conditions are contraindications to a bariatric surgical procedure, and approval cannot be granted until there is health record documentation that the conditions are resolved:
- 1. untreated major depression or psychosis;
- 2. binge-eating disorders; or
- 3. current drug and alcohol abuse.
Age Group Details
18 years of age and older; beneficiaries under 18 are considered on a case-by-case basis under EPSDT
Place of Service
Inpatient Hospital, Outpatient Hospital, Ambulatory Surgical Centers.
How to Submit
N/A - No authorization is required
Resources
Gastric restrictive procedure, transoral, endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG), including argon plasma coagulation, when performed
Authorization Guidelines
Please submit any records and any other information that you believe support the member has met the applicable medical necessity criteria to Trillium.
How to Submit
Please submit your request to Trillium Health Resources
Unlisted procedure, stomach
Authorization Guidelines
Please submit any records and any other information that you believe support the member has met the applicable medical necessity criteria to Trillium.
How to Submit
Please submit your request to Trillium Health Resources
Enterolysis (freeing of intestinal adhesion) (separate procedure)
How to Submit
N/A - No authorization is required
Duodenotomy, for exploration, biopsy(s), or foreign body removal
How to Submit
N/A - No authorization is required
Tube or needle catheter jejunostomy for enteral alimentation, intraoperative, any method (List separately in addition to primary procedure)
How to Submit
N/A - No authorization is required
Enterotomy, small intestine, other than duodenum; for exploration, biopsy(s), or foreign body removal
How to Submit
N/A - No authorization is required
Enterotomy, small intestine, other than duodenum; for decompression (eg, Baker tube)
How to Submit
N/A - No authorization is required
Colotomy, for exploration, biopsy(s), or foreign body removal
How to Submit
N/A - No authorization is required
Reduction of volvulus, intussusception, internal hernia, by laparotomy
How to Submit
N/A - No authorization is required
Correction of malrotation by lysis of duodenal bands and/or reduction of midgut volvulus (eg, Ladd procedure)
How to Submit
N/A - No authorization is required
Biopsy of intestine by capsule, tube, peroral (1 or more specimens)
How to Submit
N/A - No authorization is required
Excision of 1 or more lesions of small or large intestine not requiring anastomosis, exteriorization, or fistulization; single enterotomy
How to Submit
N/A - No authorization is required
Excision of 1 or more lesions of small or large intestine not requiring anastomosis, exteriorization, or fistulization; multiple enterotomies
How to Submit
N/A - No authorization is required
Enterectomy, resection of small intestine; single resection and anastomosis
How to Submit
N/A - No authorization is required
Enterectomy, resection of small intestine; each additional resection and anastomosis (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure)
How to Submit
N/A - No authorization is required
Enterectomy, resection of small intestine; with enterostomy
How to Submit
N/A - No authorization is required
Enterectomy, resection of small intestine for congenital atresia, single resection and anastomosis of proximal segment of intestine; without tapering
How to Submit
N/A - No authorization is required
Enterectomy, resection of small intestine for congenital atresia, single resection and anastomosis of proximal segment of intestine; with tapering
How to Submit
N/A - No authorization is required
If you find any wrong or out of date information on our pages, we want to know. Please email info@TrilliumNC.org with any corrections.