Medicare Part B covers certain vaccinations including pneumococcal vaccines. For services furnished on or after May 1, 1981, through September 18, 2014, the Medicare Part B program covered pneumococcal pneumonia vaccine and its administration when furnished in compliance with any applicable State law by any provider of services or any entity or individual with a supplier number. Coverage included an initial vaccine administered only to persons at high risk of serious pneumococcal disease (including all people 65 and older; immunocompetent adults at increased risk of pneumococcal disease or its complications because of chronic illness; and individuals with compromised immune systems), with revaccination administered only to persons at highest risk of serious pneumococcal infection and those likely to have a rapid decline in pneumococcal antibody levels, provided that at least 5 years had passed since the previous dose of pneumococcal vaccine.
However, ACIP updated its guidelines regarding pneumococcal vaccines; now recommending the administration of two different pneumococcal vaccinations.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is updating the Medicare coverage requirements to align with the updated ACIP recommendations. Effective for dates of service on or after September 19, 2014, (and upon implementation of CR9051), Medicare will cover:
• An initial pneumococcal vaccine to all Medicare beneficiaries who have never received the vaccine under Medicare Part B; and
• A different, second pneumococcal vaccine one year after the first vaccine was administered (that is, 11 full months have passed following the month in which the last pneumococcal vaccine was administered).
Since the updated ACIP recommendations are specific to vaccine type and sequence of vaccination, prior pneumococcal vaccination history should be taken into consideration. For example, if a beneficiary who is 65 years or older received the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) a year or more ago, then the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) should
be administered next as the second in the series of the two recommended pneumococcal vaccinations. Receiving multiple vaccinations of the same vaccine type is not generally recommended. Ideally, providers should readily have access to vaccination history, such as with electronic health records,
to ensure reasonable and necessary pneumococcal vaccinations.
Medicare does not require that a doctor of medicine or osteopathy order the vaccine; therefore, the beneficiary may receive the vaccine upon request without a physician’s order and without physician supervision.
Note that MACs will not search for and adjust any claims for pneumococcal vaccines and their administration, with dates of service on and after September 19, 2014. However, they may adjust such claims that you bring to their attention.
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