• Certification and Ongoing Responsibilities
  • Introduction
  • Other Facilities
  • Responsibilities
  • Supervision Requirements
    • Introduction
    • Declaration of Supervision
    • Supervision Waiver
  • Durable Medical Equipment and Disposable Medical Supplies
• Provider Communication
  • Introduction
  • Coordination with School-Based Services Providers
  • Coordination with County Birth to 3 Programs
  • Therapy Services for Children Brochure
  • Guide to Obtaining Augmentative Communication Devices and Accessories
  • Directory of Used Medical Equipment
• Documentation Requirements
  • Introduction
  • Prescriptions
  • Evaluations
  • Plan of Care
  • Daily Entries
• Services and Requirements
  • Introduction
  • Initial Spell of Illness
  • Daily Limitations
  • Duplicate Services
  • Evaluations
  • Group Therapy
  • Natural Environments
  • Durable Medical Equipment and Disposable Medical Supplies
  • HealthCheck "Other Services"
  • Services Not Separately Reimbursable
  • Reimbursement Not Available
• Codes
  • Procedure Codes
    • Introduction
    • Unit of Service
  • Modifiers
  • Place of Service Codes
  • Diagnosis Codes
• Prior Authorization
  • Introduction
  • Prior Authorization Forms and Attachments
  • Medical Necessity
    • Introduction
    • Relationship of Medical Necessity to Clinical Practice Principles
  • Flexibility of Approved Services
    • Introduction
    • Plan of Care Must Reflect Flexibility of Approved Services
    • Duration of Approved Services
    • Coordinating Multiple Prior Authorization Requests
• Requesting Extension of Therapy, Maintenance Therapy, and Services That Always Require Prior Authorization
  • Introduction
  • Approval Criteria
  • Extension of Therapy
  • Maintenance Therapy
    • Introduction
    • Direct Maintenance
    • Monitoring Maintenance
    • Discontinuing Maintenance
  • Services That Always Require Prior Authorization
    • Introduction
    • Cotreatment
    • Dual Treatment
    • Unlisted Procedure Codes
    • Decubitus Ulcers
• Requesting Spell of Illness
  • Introduction
  • Maximum Allowable Treatment Days
    • Introduction
    • Unused Treatment Days
• Extension of Therapy vs. Spell of Illness
• Requesting Services for Birth to 3 Participants
  • Introduction
  • Situations That Do Not Qualify for Birth to 3
• Requesting Amendments
  • Introduction
  • Approval Criteria
  • Reasons for Denial
• Claims
  • Introduction
  • 837 Health Care Claim: Professional
  • CMS 1500
  • Provider Numbers
    • Individual Providers
    • Groups, Clinics, and Nursing Homes
    • Rehabilitation Agencies
    • Hospitals
  • Referring Provider
  • Evaluations
  • Services Provided Beyond Daily Limits
  • Unlisted Procedure Codes
  • Multiple Services During One Session
  • Submitting Claims for Birth to 3 Services
• Reimbursement
  • Maximum Allowable Fees
  • Reimbursement Methods
    • Introduction
    • Natural Environment Enhanced Reimbursement
  • Copayment
    • Introduction
    • Annual Copayment Maximum
• Appendix
• PDF

Prior Authorization

Medical Necessity

Relationship of Medical Necessity to Clinical Practice Principles

Physical therapy, OT, or SLP services reimbursed by Wisconsin Medicaid reflect the following principles of clinical practice:

• An intervention plan should not be based solely on the presence of a medical diagnosis.
• Frequency or duration of treatment is determined by rate of change as a result of therapy, rather than level of severity.¹
• Decisions about direct service intervention are contingent on timely monitoring of patient or client response and progress made toward achieving the anticipated goals and expected outcomes.²
• The need for the service has been determined in collaboration with the primary caregivers and others working together on behalf of the individual.
• Families or caregivers affect the priorities for intervention through their direct and proactive participation in the therapeutic process and should be encouraged to participate in all treatment decisions.
• Intervention is unlikely to promote lasting functional improvements if the only opportunity to develop new skills occurs during sessions with the therapist.
• Therapeutic intervention strategies include an educational focus and home program that enables the family or caregiver and eventually the individual to facilitate and reinforce long-term gains.

¹ American Occupational Therapy Association.

² Guide to Physical Therapist Practice, 2001 American Physical Therapy Association, p. 38 and 46.

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