Updates to AIM Specialty Health Musculoskeletal Interventional Pain Management Clinical Appropriateness Guideline

Effective for dates of service on and after March 13, 2022, the following updates will apply to the AIM Specialty Health_® (AIM) Musculoskeletal Interventional Pain Management Clinical Appropriateness Guideline. As part of the AIM guideline annual review process, the following updates are focused on advancing efforts to drive clinically appropriate, safe, and affordable health care services.

 

Epidural injection procedures (ESI) and diagnostic selective nerve root blocks (SNRB):

• Allow more frequent ESI in newly diagnosed patients
• Remove imaging requirement in certain circumstances
• Require similar criteria as ESI for diagnostic SNRB
• Add epidural abscess as a contraindication
• Limit multilevel and combination diagnostic SNRB

 

Paravertebral facet injection/medial branch block (MBB)/neurolysis:

• Limit indefinite use of diagnostic MBB
• Add indication for diagnostic pars defect MBB
• Expand exceptions allowed for intraarticular facet injections
• Define MBB timing with respect to radiofrequency neurotomy, MBB limited to RFA candidacy
• Limit open surgical neurolysis, and limited multiple spinal injections

 

Sacroiliac joint injections:

• Limit indefinite use of diagnostic intraarticular injections
• Disallow sacral lateral branch blocks
• Disallow sacroiliac joint therapeutic injections in a previously fused joint

 

Spinal cord and nerve root stimulators:

• Allow minimally invasive pain procedures to satisfy conservative management definition
• Specify timing of mental health evaluation
• Define indications for repeat stimulator trial

 

As a reminder, ordering and servicing providers may submit prior authorization requests to AIM in one of several ways:

• Access AIM’s ProviderPortal_SM directly at www.providerportal.com. Online access is available 24/7 to process orders in real-time, and is the fastest and most convenient way to request authorization.
• Access AIM via the Availity Web Portal at www.availity.com
• Call the AIM Contact Center toll-free number at 866-714-1107, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

 

For questions related to guidelines, please contact AIM via email at aim.guidelines@aimspecialtyhealth.com. Additionally, you may access and download a copy of the current and upcoming guidelines here.

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