Posted in #Medicareadvantage, #reimbursement, Cinga Insurance, Payer Updates, Payers and CPT reinbursement

Aetna: Cologuard reimbursement

As per Aetna for their Commercial and Medicare Plans: Cologuard test will be denied when it is performed within a year that the patient had a Colonoscopy.

Colonoscopy codes: 45378–45398 or G0121

This will be effective for any DOS on Jan 1,2025 and thereafter.


What is Cologuard?

According to the Cologuard website: the non-invasive at home colon cancer screening test that is available for patients 45 and older who have an average risk of colon cancer.

What is an average risk?

Patients that do not have a history of colon cancer in their family or personal history, as well as IBD.


Please note that there is no specific insurance information that is available on the Cologuard website. Cologuard might not be covered at all with your insurance. Please double check if it going to be covered before doing it.


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Posted in #reimbursement, BCBS (Various States), BCBS Empire NY, Cinga Insurance, EmblemHealth NY, HEDIS Measures, NY Providers, Training

HEDIS Measure: Immunizations for Adolescent

This measure represents the percentage of children who turned 13 years old and received the following immunizations before their 13th birthday.

  • One dose of meningococcal vaccine
  • One tetanus, diphtheria toxoids and one acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap): and
  • Completed the human papillomavirus (HPV) series.*

*HPV requires 2 shots, at least 146 days apart.


Meningococcal recombinant (serogroup B) (MenB) vaccines- DO NOT COUNT towards the HEDIS measure.


For Meningococcal Serogroups A, C, W, Y:

  • At least one meningococcal serogroups A, C, W, Y vaccine, with a date of service on or between the member’s eleventh and 13th birthdays
  • Anaphylaxis due to the meningococcal vaccine any time on or before the member’s 13th birthday meets criteria

For Tdap: generic documentation (Tdap/Td) can be counted towards this HEDIS measure.

  • At least one tetanus, diphtheria toxoids and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine, with a date of service on or between the member’s tenth and 13th birthdays.
  • If patient has anaphylaxis due to Tdap vaccine during or before pt turns 13 years old
  • Encephalitis due to the tetanus, diphtheria, or pertussis vaccine

For HPV:

  • At least two HPV vaccines on or between the member’s ninth and 13th birthdays and with dates of service at least 146 days apart
  • At least 3 HPV vaccines – w/ different DOS before or on the date when patient turns 13 years of age
  • Anaphylaxis due to the HPV vaccine any time on or before the member’s 13th birthday meets criteria

Accepted documentation:

  • A note with the specific antigen/vaccine and the date of administration of the vaccine
  • A certificate of immunization prepared by an authorized health care provider or agency with information of each vaccine and their administration dates

Not accepted documentation:

A note that says the member is up to date and does not have the actual vaccines listed w/ administration dates


Via Anthem (NY) provider news.

PROVIDERS-some things you can do in your practice in order to meet this measure:

  • Have standing orders for adolescent vaccines- the visit can be performed by a Nurse
  • Use appointment reminders to schedule vaccine appointments
  • For HPV  vaccines make sure to schedule a f/u appt for the next dosage.
  • Educate parents on the importance of the vaccines and their on time administration.

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Posted in Cinga Insurance, Payer Updates, Payers and CPT reinbursement, Training, Updates

Cigna to add more codes to their Virtual Vare Reimbursement Policy and make them permanent, however…

At the beginning of Covid 19 PHE and during, the insurance payers scrambled around to put together virtual care/telehealth/telemedicine policies. Since then, there were many revisions, so it is of no surprise when Cigna announced that they are adding some of the codes that were on non-permanent virtual list to their Virtual Care Reimbursement Policy.


These Codes are:

However, how can home health services like S9123Nursing care, in the home; by registered nurse, per hour (use for general nursing care only, not to be used when CPT codes 99500-99602 can be used), code that is used for coding and billing Private Duty nursing Billing, be used as a virtual code? This code is used for MLTC members that require around the clock nursing care, members that cannot take care of themselves…so how are the services supposed to be done via “virtual care”?

Just my 2 cents….. 🙂


Would you like to read the full Cinga Virtual Care Reimbursement Policy? Click on this link: https://static.cigna.com/assets/chcp/secure/pdf/resourceLibrary/clinReimPolsModifiers/R31_Virtual_Care.pdf


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