Medicare National Coverage Determinations (NCD) Manual (Pub. 100-03), Ch. 1 § 40.7
Outpatient Intravenous Insulin Treatment (Effective December
40.7 – Outpatient Intravenous Insulin Treatment (Effective December
23, 2009)
(Rev. 117, Issued: 03-09-10, Effective Date: 12-23-09; Implementation Date: 04-05-
10)
A. General
The term outpatient intravenous (IV) insulin therapy (OIVIT) refers to an outpatient
regimen that integrates pulsatile or continuous intravenous infusion of insulin via any
means, guided by the results of measurement of:
•
respiratory quotient; and/or
•
urine urea nitrogen (UUN); and/or
•
arterial, venous, or capillary glucose; and/or
•
potassium concentration; and
performed in scheduled recurring periodic intermittent episodes.
This regimen is also sometimes termed Cellular Activation Therapy (CAT), Chronic
Intermittent Intravenous Insulin Therapy (CIIT), Hepatic Activation Therapy (HAT),
Intercellular Activation Therapy (iCAT), Metabolic Activation Therapy (MAT), Pulsatile
Intravenous Insulin Treatment (PIVIT), Pulse Insulin Therapy (PIT), and Pulsatile
Therapy (PT).
In OIVIT, insulin is intravenously administered in the outpatient setting for a variety of
indications. Most commonly, it is delivered in pulses, but it may be delivered as a more
conventional drip solution. The insulin administration is adjunctive to the patient’s
routine diabetic management regimen (oral agent or insulin-based) or other disease
management regimen, typically performed on an intermittent basis (often weekly), and
frequently performed chronically without duration limits. Glucose or other carbohydrate
is available ad libitum (in accordance with patient desire).
B. Nationally Covered Indications
N/A
C. Nationally Non-Covered Indications
Effective for claims with dates of service on and after December 23, 2009, the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) determines that the evidence does not
support a conclusion that OIVIT improves health outcomes in Medicare beneficiaries.
Therefore, CMS has determined that OIVIT is not reasonable and necessary for any
indication under section 1862(a)(1)(A) of the Social Security Act. Services comprising
an OIVIT regimen are nationally non-covered under Medicare when furnished pursuant
to an OIVIT regimen (see subsection A. above).
D. Other
Individual components of OIVIT may have medical uses in conventional treatment
regimens for diabetes and other conditions. Coverage for such other uses may be
determined by other local or national Medicare determinations, and do not pertain to
OIVIT. For example, see Pub. 100-03, NCD Manual, Section 40.2, Home Blood Glucose
Monitors, Section 40.3, Closed-loop Blood Glucose Control Devices (CBGCD), Section
190.20, Blood Glucose Testing, and Section 280.14, Infusion Pumps, as well as Pub. 100-
04, Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 18, Section 90, Diabetics Screening.
(This NCD last reviewed December 2009.)