Aetna imaging denied: how to appeal

Quick answer

If Aetna (CVS Health) denied your MRI and imaging, you can appeal, and the plan must give you its file and the criteria it used. Filing windows by plan type: at least 180 days (employer self-funded plans); at least 180 days (insured and Marketplace plans); 65 days from the notice (Medicare Advantage); 65 days from the notice (Part D); 60 days from the notice (Medicaid managed care). The date printed on your denial notice controls; it can only be later than these floors, never earlier.

Why Aetna (CVS Health) denies MRI and imaging

Aetna, owned by CVS Health since 2018, runs commercial group plans, Medicare Advantage, and a large pharmacy benefit footprint via Caremark. GLP-1, specialty drug, and behavioral health denials are the highest-volume categories.

For MRI and imaging specifically: MRI, CT, PET, and other imaging denials are almost always issued at the prior-auth stage. They move fast, and so should the appeal.

The law that controls this appeal

The ACR Appropriateness Criteria are the recognized clinical standard; the plan's radiology-benefit-manager criteria must be disclosed on request.

At a glance

Aetna (CVS Health) appeals: the rule, the deadline and the next level, by plan type

Which row applies depends on the plan you hold, not on Aetna (CVS Health)'s brand. Your ID card, the Summary Plan Description and the denial letter say which.

Plan type	Rule that governs	File your appeal within	The plan must answer	If the plan says no again
Employer self-funded plan (ERISA) Most large employers. The employer pays the claims and hires the carrier to administer them; the Summary Plan Description says self-funded or self-insured.	ERISA § 503 (29 U.S.C. § 1133) and the claims-procedure rule, 29 CFR 2560.503-1. Federal external review under 45 CFR 147.136(d) for non-grandfathered plans.	At least 180 days from the adverse benefit determination (29 CFR 2560.503-1(h)(3)(i)).	Urgent care: 72 hours. Pre-service: 30 days. Post-service: 60 days (29 CFR 2560.503-1(i)(2)).	Federal external review by an accredited independent review organization, requested within 4 months of the final internal denial (45 CFR 147.136(d)); then a civil action under ERISA § 502(a). State insurance departments do not regulate self-funded plans; the U.S. Department of Labor does.
Fully insured employer, individual or Marketplace plan The carrier holds the risk and is licensed in your state. Small employers and almost all individual and HealthCare.gov plans.	45 CFR 147.136 (Public Health Service Act § 2719), which applies the 29 CFR 2560.503-1 procedures and adds state external review; state insurance law on top.	At least 180 days from the denial (45 CFR 147.136(b); 29 CFR 2560.503-1(h)(3)(i)).	Urgent care: 72 hours. Pre-service: 30 days. Post-service: 60 days. Prior-authorization decisions by Marketplace issuers from 2026: 72 hours expedited, 7 calendar days standard (CMS-0057-F).	External review through your state's process, or the federal process where the state has none, generally within 4 months of the final internal denial (45 CFR 147.136(c), (d)). The state insurance department and its Consumer Assistance Program take complaints.
Medicare Advantage (Part C) A private plan that replaces Original Medicare. The card says Medicare Advantage, HMO, PPO or PFFS.	42 CFR Part 422, Subpart M (§§ 422.560 to 422.634). Coverage decisions must follow Original Medicare rules (42 CFR 422.101).	65 calendar days from the date on the denial notice to request the plan's reconsideration (42 CFR 422.582, as amended effective 1 January 2025).	Expedited: 72 hours. Standard pre-service: 30 days (7 days for Part B drugs). Payment: 60 days (42 CFR 422.590).	If the plan does not fully reverse itself it must send the case to the Independent Review Entity on its own (42 CFR 422.592); then an ALJ hearing when the amount in controversy meets the annual threshold, the Medicare Appeals Council and federal court. State external review does not apply.
Medicare Part D (drug plan or MA-PD) A stand-alone drug plan or the drug benefit inside a Medicare Advantage plan.	42 CFR Part 423, Subpart M; exceptions under 42 CFR 423.578.	65 calendar days from the date on the notice to request a redetermination (42 CFR 423.582, as amended effective 1 January 2025). Formulary, tiering and step-therapy exceptions need the prescriber's supporting statement (§ 423.578).	Redetermination: 7 calendar days standard, 72 hours expedited (42 CFR 423.590). Coverage determinations: 72 hours standard, 24 hours expedited, once the prescriber's statement is received (§§ 423.568, 423.572).	Independent Review Entity reconsideration on your request within 65 days of the redetermination notice (§ 423.600); then ALJ, Council and court.
Medicaid managed care plan A Medicaid plan run by the carrier under a state contract. The card says Medicaid, Medi-Cal, STAR, HealthChoice or your state's programme name.	42 CFR Part 438, Subpart F (plan appeals) and 42 CFR Part 431, Subpart E (state fair hearings).	60 calendar days from the date on the notice of adverse benefit determination to request the plan's appeal (42 CFR 438.402(c)(2)(ii)). State fair hearing: within 120 calendar days of the plan's appeal decision (§ 438.408(f)(2)).	Standard appeal: 30 calendar days. Expedited: 72 hours (42 CFR 438.408(b)).	A state fair hearing after the plan's single level of appeal (§ 438.402(b)); some states add an external medical review. Benefits continue during the appeal if you ask within 10 calendar days of the notice (§ 438.420).

Employer self-funded plan (ERISA)

What you can demand. The plan must give you the claim file, the internal rule or criterion it relied on, and the identity of the reviewer, free of charge, on request (29 CFR 2560.503-1(h)(2)(iii), (m)(8)).

How to open the appeal. Cite ERISA § 503 and 29 CFR 2560.503-1 in the opening paragraph: request the claim file and the specific criteria relied on, and note the 30-day (pre-service), 60-day (post-service) and 72-hour (urgent) decision clocks.

Fully insured employer, individual or Marketplace plan

What you can demand. The plan must give you the claim file, the criteria it applied and any new evidence or rationale before the final decision, free of charge (45 CFR 147.136(b)(2)(ii)(C); 29 CFR 2560.503-1(h)(2)(iii)).

How to open the appeal. Cite 45 CFR 147.136 and 29 CFR 2560.503-1: request the claim file and the criteria, note the decision clocks, and name the state external-review right.

Medicare Advantage (Part C)

What you can demand. The plan may not apply internal criteria that are more restrictive than Medicare's national and local coverage determinations, and must decide medical necessity on your individual circumstances (42 CFR 422.101(b), (c)). You can ask for the case file and the criteria used.

How to open the appeal. Cite 42 CFR 422.582 and 422.101(c): the plan must decide on your individual circumstances under Medicare coverage rules, and must forward an unfavorable reconsideration to the IRE itself.

Medicare Part D (drug plan or MA-PD)

What you can demand. The exception turns on the prescriber's statement that the formulary alternative would be less effective or would harm you (42 CFR 423.578(b)(5)).

How to open the appeal. Cite 42 CFR 423.578 and 423.582 and attach the prescriber's supporting statement written to the exception standard.

Medicaid managed care plan

What you can demand. Free copies of the case file, medical records and the criteria used, before and during the appeal (42 CFR 438.406(b)(5)). Children under 21 have EPSDT rights to medically necessary care (42 U.S.C. 1396d(r)(5)).

How to open the appeal. Cite 42 CFR 438.402 and 438.406(b)(5): request the case file and the criteria, ask for continued benefits within 10 days, and reserve the state fair hearing.

Reported denial rates

In the CMS Transparency in Coverage data for plan year 2026 (2024 claims), the 13 Aetna (CVS Health)-family Marketplace issuer filings across 12 states reported in-network claim denial rates from 15.5% to 27.3% (median 21.1%). Issuer-level, self-reported, HealthCare.gov plans only; a denial includes duplicate and administrative denials.

Aetna (CVS Health) denial rate: every state, three years →

Primary sources for this table

Windows are federal floors or the rule as written; the denial notice controls. Reviewed 13 September 2026. General information, not legal advice; Apellica is not a law firm.

What Aetna (CVS Health) denies for MRI and imaging

The MRI and imaging services most often denied:

MRI of brain, spine, joints, abdomen
CT with contrast
PET scans (oncology, neurology)
Cardiac imaging (echo, MUGA, stress)
Repeat imaging within 90 days

Why MRI and imaging claims get denied

A typical Aetna (CVS Health) MRI and imaging denial almost always cites one of these reasons. Each one maps to a specific rebuttal in the appeal:

Conservative imaging (X-ray, ultrasound) not tried first
Documented symptoms don't match imaging request
Out-of-network imaging facility
Plan claims it's a 'screening,' not diagnostic
ICD coding doesn't justify the CPT requested

The Aetna (CVS Health) appeal process

Appeal levels: Internal level 1 (30 days standard / 72h urgent), then external IRO review (45 days standard).

Carrier timing: 180 days from denial for internal appeal; generally at least 4 months (120 days) from the final internal denial for federal external review (exact window varies by plan and state — check your denial letter).

Imaging timing: Urgent designation compresses response to 72 hours. Standard: 30 days. Most plans: 180-day filing window.

What we know about Aetna (CVS Health): Aetna's internal appeals respond well to peer-to-peer review requests filed alongside the written appeal.

Common Aetna (CVS Health) denial patterns for MRI and imaging

GLP-1 / Wegovy denials citing BMI. Aetna denies most weight-loss GLP-1 prescriptions citing BMI thresholds or 'lifestyle modification first' criteria. When a patient has documented comorbidities (such as type 2 diabetes) and the treating clinician determines a diabetes-indicated GLP-1 is medically appropriate, an appeal built on that documented clinical picture is often reversed quickly — the medication and indication remain the clinician's decision, never a path chosen simply to obtain coverage.
Caremark formulary denials. Aetna's pharmacy benefit (Caremark) issues formulary denials separate from medical benefit denials. Each requires its own appeal track, confusing the two costs weeks.
Internal appeal then external review. Aetna's first appeal is internal and is generally filed within 180 days of the denial. After a final internal denial, external review by an Independent Review Organization (IRO) is a separately strong reversal lane; under the federal ACA standard members generally have at least 4 months (120 days) to request it, though the exact window varies by plan and state — confirm the deadline printed on your denial letter.

How to win your Aetna (CVS Health) MRI and imaging appeal

Strategy for MRI and imaging: Start by working out who actually denied it. Most large plans do not review advanced imaging themselves; they delegate it to a radiology benefit manager, and the two that cover most of the market are eviCore (part of Cigna's Evernorth) and Carelon Medical Benefits Management (part of Elevance, formerly AIM Specialty Health). The denial letter or the ordering office will name it. This matters because the criteria being applied are the benefit manager's, not your insurer's general policy, and you are entitled to ask for them in writing. Second, identify which of the two common refusals you actually received. The first is a step-imaging rule: the plan wants a plain X-ray, an ultrasound, or a course of conservative treatment such as physical therapy documented before it will authorise an MRI or CT. The answer is a dated record of what was already tried and what it showed, or a clinical reason that the earlier step is inappropriate here, such as a red-flag symptom. The second is that the chart does not connect the symptoms to the imaging indication, in which case the answer is a note tying the specific findings to the study requested. In both cases the American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are the recognised external standard and are free to cite; where the ordered study matches the ACR rating for that clinical scenario, say so explicitly and give the scenario name. Mark the appeal urgent when delay carries risk, which most plans honour on the ordering physician's signature and which compresses the decision to 72 hours, and ask for a peer-to-peer review the same day, because imaging denials are frequently reversed on that call once a radiologist or the ordering physician explains the indication.

Filed against Aetna (CVS Health), that strategy rides on this procedural spine:

Procedural-rights anchor. Cite ERISA § 503 and 29 CFR 2560.503-1 in the opening paragraph: request the claim file and the specific criteria relied on, and note the 30-day (pre-service), 60-day (post-service) and 72-hour (urgent) decision clocks. If your Aetna (CVS Health) coverage is a different plan type (Fully insured employer, individual or Marketplace plan, Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, Medicaid managed care plan), use that row of the table above instead; the rule and the deadline change with the plan, not the carrier.
Criteria-disclosure demand. Aetna (CVS Health) frequently denies on "not medically necessary" without disclosing the clinical criteria applied. Once disclosed, those criteria become the rebuttal map.
Controlling-standard citation. The ACR Appropriateness Criteria are the recognized clinical standard; the plan's radiology-benefit-manager criteria must be disclosed on request.
Treating-provider attestation. A letter from the treating physician addressing each criterion in Aetna (CVS Health)'s own policy language. This is the single strongest evidentiary element.
Requested action. A specific demand to reverse the MRI and imaging denial and approve the service, not a general "please reconsider."

Documents you'll need for your Aetna (CVS Health) MRI and imaging appeal

Denial letter
Order from referring physician
Symptom history / ordering physician's notes
Prior imaging results (if any)

What a MRI and imaging appeal can recover

Typical recovery for MRI and imaging cases runs $500 - $5,000 per study. The exact figure depends on the specific service and your plan's contracted rates.

Aetna (CVS Health) MRI and imaging appeals: frequently asked questions

Can I appeal your Aetna (CVS Health) MRI or imaging denial?

Yes, and quickly. Imaging denials are almost always issued at prior authorization. Mark the appeal urgent if your ordering physician signs off, which compresses the decision to 72 hours, and request a same-day peer-to-peer review.

How long does your Aetna (CVS Health) imaging appeal take?

An urgent designation requires a decision within 72 hours; standard appeals take up to 30 days. Most plans allow 180 days to file the appeal itself.

Why was my MRI denied as not necessary?

Common reasons are that conservative imaging such as X-ray or ultrasound was not tried first, the symptoms do not match the imaging request, or the ICD diagnosis codes do not justify the CPT ordered. The ACR Appropriateness Criteria are the recognized standard to cite back.

What proves an MRI is medically necessary?

Symptom documentation that maps directly to the imaging-justification diagnosis codes, the ordering physician's notes, and any prior imaging. Citing the ACR Appropriateness Criteria for your clinical scenario is decisive.

What Apellica does for Aetna (CVS Health) MRI and imaging appeals

We file appeals against Aetna (CVS Health) specifically configured to its internal review process. Every MRI and imaging appeal embeds the criteria-disclosure demand, the procedural-rights anchor, the controlling-standard citation above, treating-provider attestation language, and the peer-reviewed evidence relevant to the denied service.

Cost: $0 upfront. We work on contingency for Aetna (CVS Health) appeals, if the appeal succeeds, we collect a percentage of the recovered claim value. If it fails, you owe nothing.

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Aetna (CVS Health) denied your MRI and imaging? Here is what to do next