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Rhinoplasty

OPD Procedure: Rhinoplasty

Rhinoplasty procedures can be functional, aesthetic, or both. These procedures can fall into 2 surgical categories: reconstructive or cosmetic. Medicare does not cover procedures performed purely for cosmetic purposes.

Medical Necessity

Services are considered reasonable and medically necessary in patients with the following conditions, which may include, but are not limited to:

  • Secondary to trauma, disease, congenital defect with nasal airway obstruction not resolved by a previous septoplasty or would not expect to be resolved by a septoplasty
  • Septal deviation/deformity causing airway obstruction unresponsive to conservative treatment
  • Chronic nasal obstruction due to vestibular stenosis
  • Nasal deformity secondary to cleft lip/palate or other congenital craniofacial deformity causing functional impairment
  • Septoplasty may be considered medically necessary when the following occurs:
    • Septal deviation/deformity causing nasal obstruction
    • Recurrent sinusitis (4 or more episodes a year) secondary to a deviated septum
    • Asymptomatic septal deformity which prevents access to other transnasal areas
    • Performed in association with cleft lip/palate
    • Obstructed nasal breathing due to septal deformity that has proved unresponsive to Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) treatments
  • Obstructive symptoms persist despite conservative treatments tried for at least 3 months
  • For septoplasty, patients unresponsive to conservative treatments tried for at least 6 weeks

General Documentation Requirements

  • Current H&P, office visit note, or physician progress note
    • Documentation of patient complaints, signs and symptoms, difficulty breathing
    • Documentation of chronic infections
    • Disease or condition affecting functionality, etc.
  • Documentation of conservative treatments tried and their results
  • Supporting radiological imaging
  • If applicable, supporting photographs

Prior Auth Request Form

Prior Authorization OPD: RhinoplastyPDF

Coverage Criteria and Resources

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