Hysterectomy

Revised: November 21, 2022

· Overview

· Eligible Providers

· Eligible Members

· Covered Services

· Noncovered Services

· Authorization and Service Requirements

· Billing

· Legal References

Refer to the Reproductive Health/OB-GYN overview page for links to other related services.

Overview

A hysterectomy is a medically necessary procedure or operation for the purpose of removing the uterus. Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP) does not cover hysterectomies for sterilization purposes.

Eligible Providers

· Ambulatory surgical centers

· Hospitals

· Tribal and Federal Indian Health Facility Services

· Certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA)

· Nurse midwife

· Nurse practitioner

· Physician assistant

· Physician

Eligible Members

All MHCP members are eligible for hysterectomy services.

Covered Services

Hysterectomy procedures or operations for the purpose of removing the uterus are covered when medically necessary.

Noncovered Services

A hysterectomy is not covered when either of the following applies:

· Is performed solely for the purpose of making a member sterile

· More than one purpose exists for the procedure, and the hysterectomy would not have been performed but for the purpose of rendering the individual permanently incapable of reproducing.

Authorization and Service Requirements

Prior authorization is required for all hysterectomies unless an exceptions to HAS circumstance exists. MHCP requires the provider to secure patient acknowledgment to perform a hysterectomy by informing the individual (and their legal representative, if applicable), the hysterectomy will make them permanently incapable of reproducing.

Conditions supporting medical necessity for hysterectomy may include, but are not limited to, the following:

· Malignant disease of the cervix, uterus, ovaries or fallopian tubes

· Symptomatic uterine fibroids (leiomyomas) that are either

· Causing bladder pressure, pain, fullness, functional disturbance

· Bleeding unresponsive to conservative therapy

· Showing rapid and progressive enlargement

· Recurrent or persistent uterine bleeding or discharge with failure to respond to conservative management

· Confirmed diagnosis of endometriosis with documented failure of nonsurgical management, for example use of hormonal therapy (if not contraindicated) or low-dose contraceptives

· Endometritis that is unresponsive to conservative management

· Chronic pelvic inflammatory disease unresponsive to conservative management

· Adenomatous endometrial hyperplasia with moderate or severe atypia recurring despite conservative management

· Obstetrical catastrophes, such as, but not limited to, uncontrollable postpartum bleeding, uterine rupture, uncontrolled uterine sepsis developing from septic abortion, placenta accretion

· Septic abortion not responsive to conservative management

· Removal of the uterus in non-gynecologic pelvic surgery where necessary to encompass disease originating elsewhere, as in uterine involvement in colon cancer or in abscess secondary to diverticulitis

· Symptomatic uterine prolapse or descent resulting in general pelvic relaxation

· Other conditions determined to be medically necessary

The Code of Federal Regulations (42 CFR 441.250 – 441.259) outlines requirements, including member acknowledgment of information, that must be complied with for MHCP to reimburse providers for performing hysterectomy procedures.

Written Hysterectomy Acknowledgment Statement (HAS)

A written HAS is required for the procedure to be covered. The following are guidelines for a written HAS:

· Do not use the Consent for Sterilization form to obtain written acknowledgment for a hysterectomy. MHCP does not cover a hysterectomy as a means for sterilization.

· The member and their legal representative (if any) must sign a HAS verifying that they received this information, both verbally and in written form.

· The member and their legal representative (if any) must sign the HAS before or after the hysterectomy. However, if the statement is signed after the hysterectomy, it must indicate that before the surgery took place, the member was informed the hysterectomy would make them sterile.

· Legal representatives must sign the HAS for mentally incompetent members.

· A member residing in an institution, such as a regional treatment center, may sign the HAS for themselves unless they have been found incompetent by a court or unless the head of the institution determines that the member is incompetent and requires a legal representative.

The HAS must be faxed as an attachment following the instructions on the Electronic claim attachments webpage on any claim(s) submitted by the physician, anesthesiologist, CRNA and hospital.

Hysterectomy Acknowledgment Statement (HAS)

The following is a sample HAS:

My health care provider informed me, both verbally and with written materials, that the performance of a hysterectomy would make me sterile (not able to have children).

Signed _______________________________________ Date _____________________________

Note: It is not mandatory for the provider to use this sample HAS. Any document that the member, or their legal representative, has signed that shows the provider informed the member that they would be incapable of reproducing due to the hysterectomy is permissible.

If the member signs the acknowledgment after the hysterectomy, the acknowledgment must show that the member was informed of the outcome of the hysterectomy before the procedure was performed.

Exceptions to HAS

The written HAS requirement is waived in the following situations:

· Life-threatening Emergency: When a member needs a hysterectomy because of a life-threatening emergency in which a health care provider determines that a prior written HAS is not possible. The physician must provide written certification (including physician signature and date) that a prior written HAS was not possible and describe the nature of the emergency. This certification must accompany all claims for services associated with the hysterectomy.

· Member Already Sterile: A hysterectomy performed on a member who was sterile before the surgery is not subject to the written HAS requirement.

In both exceptions, the physician who performed the hysterectomy must provide a written certification (including physician signature and date) that:

· A prior written HAS was not possible and describe the nature of the emergency

· The member was sterile before the procedure and the cause of the sterility

The physician’s certification must be faxed as an attachment following the instructions on the Electronic claim attachments webpage on all hysterectomy claims.

Sample Statement – Member Already Sterile

(Patient’s name) had a tubal ligation procedure on (date) making them sterile prior to the hysterectomy performed on (date).

Signature of physician: ____________________________________Date: ____________________

Billing

Bill for services using MN–ITS.

· Use 837P or 837I

· Fax a copy of the Hysterectomy Acknowledgement Statement following the instructions on the Electronic claim attachments webpage for all hysterectomy claims, including physician, anesthesiologist, CRNA, hospital or surgical center.

Legal References

Code of Federal Regulations, title 42, sections 441.250 - 441.259 (sterilization and hysterectomy)