Coverage Policy Manual
Policy #: 2012040
Category: PPACA Preventive
Initiated: August 2012
Last Review: June 2023
  PREVENTIVE SERVICES FOR NON-GRANDFATHERED (PPACA) PLANS: Newborn Screening For Inherited Disorders

Description:
The Federal Patient Protection and Preventive Care Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by the President in March 2010.  The preventive services component of the law became effective 23 September 2010. A component of the law was a requirement that all “non-grandfathered” health insurance plans are required to cover those preventive medicine services given an “A” or “B” recommendation by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.  Additionally, the law requires coverage of Bright Futures recommendations for children from the American Academy of Pediatrics, preventive services for women outlined by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Women’s Preventive Services: Required Health Plan Coverage Guidelines and all vaccinations recommended by the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
 
Plans are not required to provide coverage for the preventive services if they are delivered by out-of-network providers.
 
Bright Futures was established by the Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau with the mission to “promote and improve the health, education, and wellbeing of infants, children, adolescents, families and communities” (Hagan, 2008).
 
Bright Futures describes its guidelines as “evidence informed rather than fully evidence driven” (AAP, 2008). Unlike the USPSTF, Bright Futures does not assign grades to recommendations that do not definitively recommend for or against a particular preventive service. Rather than leave gaps in the recommendations, Bright Futures supplements evidence with experience and expert opinion to ensure that definitive guidance is given (IOM, 2011).
 
The following policy is based on the Bright Futures recommendation for this preventive service.
 

Policy/
Coverage:
Under Arkansas Act 490 UNIVERSAL NEWBORN SCREENING ACT, the Arkansas Department of Health is directed to provide for newborn screening in keeping with the requirements of the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP) for all births in the state of Arkansas.
 
Newborn screening tests are covered for newborn members of “non-grandfathered” plans, without cost sharing (i.e., deductible, co-insurance or co-pay).
 
Newborn screening tests should be performed as required by and defined under Arkansas Act 490 or the newborn screening law of the state in which the child is born. Screening tests are typically performed prior to discharge from the hospital following the birth of the infant.
 
The appropriate ICD-10 codes to report these services are Z00.110 and Z00.111.
 
Codes that may be used to report this service include HCPCS S3620.  
 
When the primary purpose of the service is the delivery of an evidence-based service in accordance with a US Preventive Services Task Force A or B rating in effect and other preventive services identified in preventive services mandates (legislative or regulatory), the service may be billed with Modifier ‘-33’. The correct coding as listed for both ICD-10 and CPT or HCPCS codes are also required.
 
 
 

Rationale:
This policy is based on the Third Edition of Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children and Adolescents (Hagan, 2008).  Screening of all newborns for metabolic disorders and hemoglobinopathies “is an essential public health responsibility that is critical for improving the health outcomes of affected children” (Hagan, 2008). Screening of newborns should be performed according to state law. Testing is typically done prior to discharge from the hospital following the birth of an infant.
 

CPT/HCPCS:
S3620Newborn metabolic screening panel, includes test kit, postage and the laboratory tests specified by the state for inclusion in this panel (e.g., galactose; hemoglobin, electrophoresis; hydroxyprogesterone, 17 d; phenylalanine (pku); and thyroxine, total)

References: Hagan JF, Shwa JS, Duncan PM, eds.(2008) Bright Futures: Guidelines for health supervision of infants, children and adolescents, 3rd ed. (J. F. Hagan, J. S. Shaw, and P. M. Duncan, eds.). Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics.

IOM (Institute of Medicine).(2011) Clinical Preventive Services for Women: Closing the Gaps. Washington, DC: The National Acadamies Press.


Group specific policy will supersede this policy when applicable. This policy does not apply to the Wal-Mart Associates Group Health Plan participants or to the Tyson Group Health Plan participants.
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