Pain Mgmt Prog for Chron Pain Synd: 20.0% of denials overturned
In 5 California IMR decisions from 2008 to 2018, reviewers overturned 1 (20.0%). 4 were medical-necessity disputes, 1 experimental/investigational.
What the findings mention
From recent overturned decisions
“A 59-year-old female enrollee has requested deep brain stimulation for the treatment of her pain. Findings: Two physician reviewers found that this patient is status post stroke with resulting right-sided weakness. She now has burning pain on the right side of the body that is not helped by any usual methods of treatment. She has requested coverage for deep brain …”
And one the reviewer upheld
“Nature of Statutory Criteria/Case Summary: An enrollee has requested authorization and coverage for acupuncture/acupressure, once per week, trigger point injections, medial branch blocks (MBBs), subacromial bursa injections, Percocet 10 mg, three times per day, oxycodone-acetaminophen 10-325 mg, every eight hours, pentoxifylline XR 400 mg, twice per day, Flexeril 10 mg, as needed, once per day, Neurontin 300 mg, three times …”
- California only: these are decisions by independent reviewers under California's IMR program (plans regulated by the Department of Managed Health Care). Other states and self-funded employer plans use different reviewers and rules.
- Selection: only denials that a member took all the way to IMR appear. Most denials are never appealed, and the ones that reach an external reviewer are not a random sample.
- Overturned means the reviewer disagreed with the plan; it does not mean the treatment worked or that a similar request will be approved.
- Argument tags are keyword matches on the reviewer's findings. They describe what the findings mention, not why the case was decided.
- Categories are DMHC's own labels (treatment sub-category and diagnosis category); 'Other' is a catch-all and is excluded from rankings.
Source: California Department of Managed Health Care, Independent Medical Review (IMR) Determinations, Trend (CHHS Open Data). Public California government data; Apellica's aggregates and tags are CC BY 4.0.
Questions
How often were Pain Mgmt Prog denials for Chron Pain Synd overturned?
In 5 California IMR decisions from 2008 to 2018, reviewers overturned 1 (20.0%). 4 were medical-necessity disputes, 1 experimental/investigational.
What should an appeal document, based on these findings?
Whatever the plan's criteria ask for, shown in the record: the treatments already tried and their results, contraindications to the plan's preferred option, the guideline or evidence that supports the request, and the treating clinician's reasoning written to the criteria. The tag table shows which of these the reviewers mentioned most in overturned cases.
Does a California IMR result apply to my plan?
Only California plans regulated by the Department of Managed Health Care go to IMR. Other states and self-funded employer plans use different reviewers, but they weigh the same things.
Independent reviewers reverse plans when the record answers the criteria. Upload the denial letter; a senior reviewer reads it within 24 hours and tells you in writing whether it can be appealed and how. $0 upfront, 10% of what is recovered, nothing if we do not recover. Not a law firm.