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Printer Friendly Version Home Prothrombin Time Monitoring
DESCRIPTIONPatients who are prescribed chronic warfarin anticoagulation need ongoing monitoring which has generally taken place in a physician’s office or anticoagulation clinic. Home prothrombin monitoring with an FDA-approved device is proposed an alternative to office or laboratory-based testing.Warfarin is an effective anticoagulant for the treatment and prevention of venous and arterial thrombosis. Chronic warfarin therapy is recommended in all patients with mechanical heart valves and in some patients with chronic atrial fibrillation (i.e., patients with one high risk factor or more than one moderate risk factor). Patients with mechanical heart valves are frequently anticoagulated at higher levels than patients anticoagulated for other indications, which puts them at higher risk of complications from warfarin therapy. Appropriate levels of warfarin anticoagulation are monitored with periodic prothrombin time measurements, as measured by the International Normalized Ratio (INR). For example, an INR >3 results is a higher risk of serious hemorrhage, while an INR of 6 increases the risk of developing a serious bleed nearly 7 times that of someone with an INR below 3. In contrast, an INR below 2 is associated with an increased risk of stroke. Therefore, monitoring of the prothrombin time is recommended to ensure that the dose levels are within the therapeutic range. There are at least 3 sites/methods of monitoring anticoagulation:
In order for home prothombin time monitoring to be effective, patients need to be appropriately trained and be able to generate INR test results comparable to laboratory measures. Moreover, the clinical impact of home prothrombin time monitoring is related to improved warfarin management. Specifically, home prothrombin time monitoring permits more frequent monitoring and self-management of warfarin therapy with the ultimate goal of 1) increasing the time that the anticoagulation is within a therapeutic INR range (intermediate health outcome); and 2) decreasing the incidence of thromboembolic or hemorrhagic events (final health outcome). Home self-monitoring is typically associated with some form of self-management of warfarin therapy. In some cases, the patient may be supplied with treatment algorithms and instructed to alter the dose based on the results of self-monitoring. In other cases, the patient may be instructed to telephone in the results of the self-monitoring and receive further telephonic instructions on warfarin dose. In January 2007, the CoaguChek XS System (patient self-testing) (Roche Diagnostics Corporation) was cleared for marketing by the FDA through the 510(k) process. The FDA determined that this device was substantially equivalent to existing devices including the CoaguChek SX system (professional, cleared in 2006). Other than a labeling change, the device is identical to the professional version of the CoaguChek XS system. The patient self-testing system is intended for self-monitoring of prothombin time in patients who are stabilized on anticoagulation medications.
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POLICYAt-home monitoring of chronic warfarin therapy may be considered medically necessary in patients who require continuous anticoagulation for chronic medical conditions. These conditions include, but are not limited to, patients with mechanical heart valves and chronic atrial fibillation. Before initiation of at-home monitoring, patients must have undergone anticoagulation management for at least 3 months.
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POLICY EXCEPTIONSFor the Federal Employee Program (FEP) only, benefits are considered medically necessary for any FDA-approved oral anticoagulant home monitoring device. Effective for processing date January 1, 1999 and forward, benefits will be provided for services and supplies necessary for the appropriate use of the anticoagulation at-home devices (Document # 00-51IHR) (added 6-23-2000).
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POLICY GUIDELINESThe coverage guidelines outlined in the Medical Policy Manual should not be used in lieu of the Member's specific benefit plan language.
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POLICY HISTORY2/1999: Approved by Medical Policy Advisory Committee (MPAC)2/2000: Reviewed by MPAC; status maintained with POLICY EXCEPTIONS clarified 2/1/2002: Appeal statement removed from Policy Exception section 5/1/2002: Type of Service and Place of Service deleted 8/2002: Reviewed by MPAC; investigational status changed to medically necessary, "Description" and "Policy" content revised to be consistent with BCBSA, Source(s) updated, HCPCS A4649 deleted 12/19/2003: Code Reference section updated 4/1/2004: Code Reference section updated, HCPCS E1399 "Note: Use this code for dates of service through June 30, 2002" added 9/12/2006: Coding updated. CPT4/HCPCS 2006 revisions added to policy 1/2/2007: Policy reviewed, no changes 9/20/2007: Code Reference section updated. ICD-9 2007 revisions added to policy 2/25/2008: Patients with chronic atrial fibrillation or deep venous thrombosis added to policy statement as medically necessary. ICD-9 codes 427.31, 453.40 - 453.42 added 12/31/2008: Code reference section updated per 2009 CPT/HCPCS revisions 3/30/2009: Policy reviewed, no changes 9/28/2009: Code reference section updated. New ICD-9 diagnosis codes 453.50-453.52, 453.6, 453.71-453.77, 453.79, 453.81-453.87, 453.89 added to covered table. Deleted statement added to ICD-9 diagnosis code 453.8. Description revised for ICD-9 diagnosis codes 453.2, 453.40, 453.41, 453.42. 04/26/2010: Policy description updated regarding testing devices. Policy statement unchanged. Deleted outdated references from the Sources section. 04/20/2011: Policy reviewed; no changes. 04/19/2012: Policy reviewed; no changes. 04/19/2013: Policy reviewed; no changes.
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SOURCE(S)Blue Cross Blue Shield Association policy # 1.01.14
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CODE REFERENCEThis is not intended to be a comprehensive list of codes. Some covered procedure codes have multiple descriptions.The code(s) listed below are ONLY covered if the procedure is performed according to the "Policy" section of this document. Covered Codes
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