• General Information
  • Introduction
  • Certification
    • Introduction
    • Physicians and Residents
    • Physician Assistants
    • Nurse Practitioners
    • Nurse Midwives
    • HealthCheck Certification
    • Presumptive Eligibility for Pregnant Women Benefit
    • Presumptive Eligibility for the Family Planning Waiver Program
    • Prenatal Care Coordination Certification
    • Durable Medical Equipment
  • Provider Numbers
    • Introduction
    • Billing Performing Provider Numbers (Issued to Physicians and Residents)
    • Group Billing Numbers (Issued to Clinics)
    • Nonbilling Performing Provider Numbers (Issued to Physician Assistants)
  • Covered Physician Services
    • Introduction
    • Procedure Codes and Modifiers
    • Place of Service Codes
  • Reimbursement Not Available
  • Recipient Eligibility
    • Introduction
    • Retroactive Eligibility
    • Non-U.S. Citizens — Emergency Services
  • Recipient Copayment
    • Introduction
    • Copayment for Physician Services
  • Documentation Requirements
  • Prior Authorization
    • Introduction
    • Physician Services Requiring Prior Authorization
    • Prior Authorization Request Forms and Attachments
  • Experimental Services
  • Specialized Medical Vehicle Services
• Evaluation and Management Services
  • Introduction
  • Concurrent Care
  • Consultations
    • Introduction
    • Covered Consultations
  • Critical Care and Prolonged Services
    • Introduction
    • Ambulance Services
  • Emergency Department Services
  • Evaluation and Management Services Provided with Surgical Procedures
  • Family Planning Services
  • Hospital Services
  • Nursing Home Visits
  • Observation Care
  • Office and Other Outpatient Visits
    • Established Patient
    • New Patient
    • Office Visit Daily Limit
    • Office Located in Hospital
    • Office Visits and Counseling
    • Physician Counseling Visits Under s. 253.10, Wis. Stats.
  • Preventive Medicine Services
    • Introduction
    • Annual Physicals
    • HealthCheck Screenings
  • Tobacco Cessation Services
    • Introduction
    • Drugs for Tobacco Cessation
• Medicine Services
  • Introduction
  • Allergy Tests
  • Audiometry
  • Biofeedback
  • Chemotherapy
    • Introduction
    • Anti-Emetic Drugs
  • Clozapine Management
  • Evoked Potentials
  • End-Stage Renal Disease Services
    • Introduction
    • Dialysis Treatment Provided Outside the Recipient's Home
    • Home Dialysis Recipients
    • Home Dialysis Recipients Who are Hospitalized
  • Fluoride — Topical Applications
    • Introduction
    • Coverage
    • Submitting Claims
    • Training Materials
  • Hospital Admissions
    • Introduction
    • Certificate of Need Requirements for Recipients Admitted to an Institution for Mental Disease
  • Immunizations
    • Introduction
    • Vaccines for Children Program
    • Vaccines for Recipients Older than Age 19
    • Synagis® Coverage
  • Provider-Administered Drugs
    • Introduction
    • Diagnosis Restrictions
    • Prior Authorization Requirements
    • Unclassified Drugs
    • Reimbursement
  • Laboratory Test Preparation and Handling Fees
    • Introduction
    • Additional Limitations
  • Mental Health Services
  • Psychiatric Medication Checks
  • Screenings
    • Introduction
    • Screening Procedures Coverage
    • Diagnostic Procedures
    • Service-Specific Information
  • Substance Abuse Services
  • Telemedicine
  • Weight Management Services
• Surgery Services
  • Abortions
    • Coverage Policy
    • Covered Services
    • Coverage of Mifeprex
    • Physician Counseling Visits Under s. 253.10, Wis. Stats.
    • Services Incidental to a Noncovered Abortion
  • Anesthesia by Surgeon
  • Bariatric Surgery
  • Breast Reconstruction
  • Cataract Surgery
    • Introduction
    • Surgical Care Only
    • Postoperative Management
    • Preoperative Management
  • Cochlear Implants
  • Contraceptive Implants
    • Introduction
    • Informed Consent Procedure
    • Informed Consent Documentation
  • Co-surgeons/Assistant Surgeons
  • Dilation and Curettage
  • Foot Care
    • Introduction
    • Unna Boots
  • Hysterectomies
  • Intrauterine Devices
  • Obstetric Services
    • Introduction
    • Separate Obstetric Care Components
    • Global Obstetric Care
    • Separately Covered Pregnancy-Related Services
    • Unusual Pregnancies
    • Complications of Pregnancy
    • Unrelated Conditions
    • Health Professional Shortage Area Incentive Reimbursement
    • Other Insurance/Private Pay Prior to Wisconsin Medicaid Eligibility
    • Fee-for-Service Recipients Subsequently Enrolled in a Medicaid HMO or SSI MCO
  • Newborn Reporting
    • Introduction
    • Responsibility for Reporting
    • Newborn Report Submission
    • Newborn Report Procedures
  • Newborn Screenings
  • Organ Transplants
    • Introduction
    • Prior Authorization Requirements
  • Sterilizations
    • General Requirements
    • Sterilization Consent Form
  • Temporomandibular Joint Surgery
    • Introduction
    • Prior Authorization Requirements
  • Vagal Nerve Stimulators
• Prescription Requirements
  • General Prescription Requirements
  • Drugs
    • Introduction
    • Preferred Drug List
    • Diagnosis-Restricted Drugs
    • Brand Medically Necessary Drugs
    • Prior Authorization Requirements for Other Drugs
    • Prescribing Drugs Manufactured by Companies Who Have Not Signed the Rebate Agreement
    • Drug Utilization Review System
    • Drugs with 100-Day Supply Maximum
    • Prescription Mail Delivery
    • Noncovered Drugs
    • SeniorCare
    • Epocrates
  • Disposable Medical Supplies and Durable Medical Equipment
    • Introduction
    • Breast Pumps
  • Specialized Medical Vehicle Trips Exceeding Mileage Limits
• Claims Submission
  • Introduction
  • 837 Health Care Claim: Professional
  • CMS 1500
  • Adjustments
  • Unlisted Procedures
  • ClaimCheck Review
  • Why Was Payment for a Service Denied by ClaimCheck?
• Reimbursement
  • Maximum Allowable Fees
  • Maximum Daily Reimbursement
    • Introduction
    • Surgery Services Exceeding Six Hours
  • Reimbursement Amounts
    • Physicians
    • Supervising Physicians of Interns and Residents
    • Residents
    • Physician Assistants
    • Nurse Practitioners
    • Ancillary Providers
  • Surgical Procedures
    • Introduction
    • Co-surgeons
    • Surgical Assistance
    • Bilateral Surgeries
    • Multiple Surgeries
    • Multiple Births
    • Preoperative and Postoperative Care
  • HealthCheck Services
  • Pediatric Services
  • Health Professional Shortage Areas
    • Introduction
    • Modifier
    • Antepartum Care Visits Performed in a Health Professional Shortage Area
    • Pediatric Services Performed in a Health Professional Shortage Area
    • HealthCheck Services Not Eligible for Health Professional Shortage Area Incentive Payment
• Appendix
  • Appendix 1 — Allowable Procedure Codes and Modifiers for Physician Evaluation and Management, Medicine, and Surgical Services
  • Appendix 2 — Allowable Modifiers for Physician Evaluation and Management, Medicine, and Surgery Services
  • Appendix 3 — Allowable Place of Service Codes for Physician Evaluation and Management, Medicine, and Surgery Services
  • Appendix 4 — CMS 1500 Claim Form Instructions for Physician Services
  • Appendix 5 — Sample CMS 1500 Claim Form — Physician Medical Services (Three Evaluation and Management Visits with Pediatric Modifier)
  • Appendix 6 — Sample CMS 1500 Claim Form — Physician Obstetrical Services (Antepartum Care in a Health Professional Shortage Area)
  • Appendix 7 — Sample CMS 1500 Claim Form — Physician Surgical Services (Bilateral Surgery)
  • Appendix 8 — Sample CMS 1500 Claim Form — End-Stage Renal Disease Services
  • Appendix 9 — Antepartum Care Claims Submission Guide
  • Appendix 10 — Abortion Certification Statements
  • Appendix 11 — Sterilization Informed Consent Instructions and Sample
  • Appendix 12 — Sterilization Informed Consent
  • Appendix 13 — Acknowledgement of Receipt of Hysterectomy Information
  • Appendix 14 — Breast Pump Order
  • Appendix 15 — Physician Services Requiring Prior Authorization
  • Appendix 16 — Prior Authorization Request Form (PA/RF) Completion Instructions for Physician Services
  • Appendix 17 — Sample Prior Authorization Request Form (PA/RF)
  • Appendix 18 — Prior Authorization Physician Attachment (PA/PA) Completion Instructions
  • Appendix 19 — Sample Prior Authorization Physician Attachment (PA/PA)
  • Appendix 20 — Prior Authorization Physician Attachment (PA/PA)
  • Appendix 21 — Prior Authorization "J" Code Attachment (PA/JCA) Completion Instructions
  • Appendix 22 — Prior Authorization/ "J" Code Attachment
  • Appendix 23 — Prior Authorization/ Physician Otological Report (PA/POR) Completion Instructions
  • Appendix 24 — Prior Authorization/ Physician Otological Report (PA/POR)
  • Appendix 25 — Health Professional Shortage Area-Eligible Procedure Codes and ZIP Codes
  • Appendix 26 — Clozapine Management
  • Appendix 27 — Allowable Temporomandibular Joint Surgery and Anesthesia Procedure Codes and Temporomandibular Joint Evaluation Programs
  • Appendix 28 — Certification of Need for Specialized Medical Vehicle Transportation
  • Appendix 29 — Wisconsin Medicaid Newborn Report
  • Appendix 30 — Declaration of Supervision for Nonbilling Providers Instructions
  • Appendix 31 — Declaration of Supervision for Nonbilling Providers
  • Appendix 32 — Diagnosis-Restricted Provider-Administered Drugs
• PDF

Select a section » Anesthesia Laboratory and Radiology Medicine and Surgery

 

 

Medicine and Surgery

Surgery Services

Bariatric Surgery

All bariatric surgery procedures require PA. The approval criteria for PA requests for Medicaid-covered bariatric surgery procedures include all of the following:

• The recipient must have one of the following:
• A body mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater, or
• A BMI of between 35 and 39 with documented high-risk, comorbid medical conditions that have not responded to medical management and are a threat to life (e.g., clinically significant obstructive sleep apnea, Pickwickian syndrome, obesity-related cardiomyopathy, coronary heart disease, medically refractory hypertension, or severe diabetes mellitus), and
• The recipient must have attempted weight loss in the past without successful long-term weight reduction. These attempts may include, but are not limited to, diet restrictions/supplements, behavior modification, physician-supervised weight loss plans, physical activity programs, commercial or professional programs, or pharmacological therapy.
• The prior authorization (PA) request must include clinically documented evidence of all of the following:
• A minimum of six months of demonstrated adherence by the recipient to a physician-supervised weight management program with at least three consecutive months of participation in this program prior to the date of surgery in order to improve surgical outcomes, reduce the potential for surgical complications, and establish the recipient’s ability to comply with postoperative medical care and dietary restrictions. Supporting documentation must include a physician’s assessment of the recipient’s participation and progress throughout the course of the program. A physician’s summary letter is not sufficient supporting clinical documentation.
• Agreement by the recipient to attend a medically supervised postoperative weight management program for a minimum of six months for the purpose of ongoing dietary, physical activity, behavioral/psychological, and medical education and monitoring.
• The recipient must receive a preoperative evaluation by an experienced and knowledgeable multi-disciplinary bariatric treatment team composed of health care providers with medical, nutritional, and psychological experience. This evaluation must include all of the following:
• A complete history and physical examination, specifically evaluating for obesity-related comorbidities that would require preoperative management.
• Evaluation for any correctable endocrinopathy that might contribute to obesity.
• Dietary assessment and counseling.
• Psychological/psychiatric evaluation and clearance to determine the stability of the recipient in terms of tolerating the operative procedure and postoperative sequelae, as well as the likelihood of the recipient participating in an ongoing weight management program following surgery. Recipients receiving active treatment for a psychiatric disorder should receive evaluation by their treatment provider prior to bariatric surgery and be cleared for bariatric surgery.
• The recipient must be 18 years of age or older and have completed growth.

All of the following must be included in the PA request:

• A completed Prior Authorization Request Form (PA/RF), HCF 11018.
• A completed Prior Authorization/Physician Attachment (PA/PA), HCF 11016 (fillable PDF, 66 KB).
• Clinical documentation supporting the criteria.

The following procedures are considered investigational, inadequately studied, or unsafe and therefore are not covered by Wisconsin Medicaid:

• Gastric balloon.
• Biliopancreatic bypass.
• Loop gastric bypass.

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