Coverage Issues Manual
Section 35-98 Electrical Stimulation for the Treatment of Wounds, pursuant to court’s decision Aitken v Shalala, the court ordered an injunction to the national non-coverage policy on the use of electrical stimulation for the treatment of wounds.
Section 35-102 Electrical Stimulation for the Treatment of Wounds, electrical stimulation for the treatment of wounds is the application of electrical current through electrodes placed directly on the skin in close proximity to the wound. Based on evidence that we have reviewed, we are issuing a coverage decision on the use of electrical stimulation only for chronic Stage III and Stage IV pressure ulcers, arterial ulcers, diabetic ulcers and venous stasis ulcers. Electrical stimulation will not be covered as an initial treatment modality. The use of electrical stimulation will be covered only after standard wound therapy has been tried for at least 30-days and there are no measurable
signs of healing. Medicare will not cover any form of electromagnetic therapy for the treatment of chronic wounds.
Section 60-9 Durable Medical Equipment - Reference List, electrical stimulation for the treatment of wounds Unsupervised home use of electrical stimulation for wounds will not be covered, as unsupervised home use has not been found to be medically reasonable and necessary.
Issued by: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Issue Date: November 08, 2002
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