I'm a member

Small bowel transplants are typically performed in patients with short bowel syndrome, defined as an inadequate absorbing surface of the small intestine due to extensive disease or surgical removal of a large portion of small intestine. In some instances, short bowel syndrome is associated with liver failure, often due to the long-term complications of total parenteral nutrition (TPN). These patients may be candidates for a small bowel/liver transplant or a multivisceral transplant, which includes the small bowel and liver with 1 or more of the following organs: stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, pancreas, and/or colon. A multivisceral transplant is indicated when anatomic or other medical problems preclude a small bowel/liver transplant.

Isolated Small Bowel Transplants are addressed in a separate policy.

A small bowel/liver transplant or multivisceral transplant may be considered medically necessary for pediatric and adult patients with intestinal failure (characterized by loss of absorption and the inablility to maintain protein-energy, fluid, electrolyte, or micronutrient balance), who have been managed with long-term total parental nutrition (TPN) and who have developed evidence of impending end-stage liver failure.

A small bowel/liver transplant or multivisceral transplant is not medically necessary in patients with the following absolute contraindications:

• Known current malignancy, including metastatic cancer;
• Recent malignancy with a high incidence of recurrence;
• Untreated systemic infection making immunosuppression unsafe, including chronic infection; or
• Other irreversible end-stage disease not attributed to intestinal failure.

Coverage is not provided for:

• Services for which the cost is covered/funded by governmental, foundation, or charitable grants
• Organs sold rather than donated to the recipient
• An artificial organ

None

Intestinal failure results from surgical resection, congenital defect, or disease-associated loss of absorption and is characterized by the inability to maintain protein-energy, fluid, electrolyte, or micronutrient balance. Short-bowel syndrome is one case of intestinal failure.

Candidates should meet the following criteria:

• Adequate cardiopulmonary status
• Documentation of patient compliance with medical management.

HIV-positive patients who meet the following criteria, as stated in the 2001 guidelines of the American Society of Transplantation, could be considered candidates for small bowel/live or multivisceral transplantation:

• CD4 count >200 cells per cubic millimeter for >6 months
• HIV-1 RNA undetectable
• On stable anti-retroviral therapy >3 months
• No other complications from AIDS (e.g., opportunistic infection, including aspergillus, tuberculosis, coccidiosis mycosis, resistant fungal infections, Kaposi’s sarcoma, or other neoplasm), and meeting all other criteria for transplantation.

Small Bowel/Liver Specific

Evidence of intolerance of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) includes, but is not limited to, multiple and prolonged hospitalizations to treat TPN-related complications, or the development of progressive but reversible liver failure. In the setting of progressive liver failure, small bowel transplant may be considered a technique to avoid end-stage liver failure related to chronic TPN, thus avoiding the necessity of a multivisceral transplant.

Investigative service is defined as the use of any treatment procedure, facility, equipment, drug, device, or supply not yet recognized by certifying boards and/or approving or licensing agencies or published peer review criteria as standard, effective medical practice for the treatment of the condition being treated and as such therefore is not considered medically necessary.

The coverage guidelines outlined in the Medical Policy Manual should not be used in lieu of the Member's specific benefit plan language.

8/2001: Reviewed by MPAC

2/15/2002: Investigational definition added

5/7/2002: Type of Service and Place of Service deleted

7/21/2005: Reviewed by MPAC; "HIV positivity is not an absolute contraindication to transplant. Each individual transplant center will determine patient selection criteria for HIV positive patients."

10/19/2005: Code Reference table updated: Non-Covered Codes table added; CPT codes 44132, 44135, 44137, 44715, 44720, 44721, 47140, 47141, 47142, 47143, 47144, 47145, 47146, 47147 added to covered    table, 44133, 44136 added to non-covered table, 44120, 44121, 44799, 47134 deleted; ICD-9 procedure codes 00.91, 00.92, 00.93, 46.97, 50.22, 50.4, 50.51 added, 50.5 deleted; HCPCS codes S2053, S2152 added to covered table, S2054, S2055 added to non-covered table; diagnosis codes 996.82, 886.89, V42.07, V42.8 deleted.

3/24/2006:  Coding updated.  CPT4 2006 revisions added to policy

11/10/2006: Multivisceral transplant changed from "investigational" to "medically necessary". Policy name changed from Small Bowel, Liver and Mutivisceral Transplant to Multivisceral Transplant. Code reference table updated: HCPCS code S2054 and S2055 added to covered codes.

12/07/2009: Policy Title revised to add "Small Bowel/Liver and". Policy Description Section revised with link to related policy, Small Bowel Transplants. Policy Statement Section revised as follows: Replaced medically necessary verbiage "short bowel syndrome" with "intestinal failure (characterized by loss of absorption and the inablility to maintain protein-energy, fluid, electrolyte, or micronutrient balance)". Patient Selection Criteria Guideline added. Non-coverage information added. Coding Section revised as follows: CPT4 codes 44133 and 44136 moved from Non-Covered Codes Table to Covered Codes Table, ICD9 procedure code 45.62 added to Covered Codes Table, ICD9 diagnosis code 570 added to Covered Codes Table. CPT4 code 44137 removed from Covered Codes Table. Removed deleted CPT4 code 47134 from Covered Codes Table. Removed incorrect ICD9 procedure code 50.5 from Covered Codes Table. Removed Non-Covered Codes Table.

08/23/2011:  Policy description updated. Policy statement revised to add a not medically necessary statement. Deleted outdated references from the Sources section.  Policy guidelines updated regarding patient selection criteria. Moved HIV-positive patient selection criteria from the Policy section to the Policy Guidelines section.

07/17/2012: Policy reviewed; no changes.

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association policy #7.03.05

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association policy #7.03.06

United Network for Organ Sharing

The code(s) listed below are ONLY covered if the procedure is performed according to the "Policy" section of this document.

Covered Codes

Top