HCPCS · Medicare DME
TRACTION FRAME, ATTACHED TO HEADBOARD, CERVICAL TRACTION
Long description on the CMS LCD code table, this read.
Data read from the CMS Coverage API on 2026-10-13. The LCD version is the current final DME MAC LCD on that read. Text below is quoted from those CMS documents. Nothing here is a coverage rule Verzi wrote.
Cervical traction devices (E0840, E0849, E0850, E0855 and E0860) are covered only if both of the following criteria are met: The beneficiary has a musculoskeletal or neurologic impairment requiring traction equipment; and The appropriate use of a home cervical traction device has been demonstrated to the beneficiary and the beneficiary tolerated the selected device. If criteria 1 and 2 are not met, cervical traction will be denied as not reasonable and necessary. Cervical traction applied via attachment to a headboard (E0840) or a free-standing frame (E0850) has no proven clinical advantage compared to cervical traction applied via an over-the-door mechanism (E0860). If an E0840 or E0850 is ordered, it will be denied as not reasonable and necessary.
Excerpt from LCD L33823 version 26, effective 01/01/2020. CMS LCD L33823.
Version 26. CMS effective date 01/01/2020. CMS updated 02/13/2020. Contractors on the CMS report: CGS Administrators (DME MAC) and Noridian Healthcare Solutions (DME MAC).
CMS coverage policy citation on the LCD. CMS Manual System, Pub. 100-3, Medicare National Coverage Determinations Manual, Chapter 1, Section 280.1
Current version on the CMS national report: 4. Effective date 06/09/2025. Benefit category: Durable Medical Equipment. The LCD lists related NCD version 1. The excerpt on this page, when present, is version 4.
In addition to policy specific documentation requirements, there are general documentation requirements that are applicable to all DMEPOS policies. These general requirements are located in the DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS section of the LCD. Refer to the LCD-related Standard Documentation Requirements article, located at the bottom of this Policy Article under the Related Local Coverage Documents section for additional information regarding GENERAL DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS and the POLICY SPECIFIC DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS discussed below. MODIFERS KX, GA, AND GZ
GENERAL There are numerous CMS manual requirements, reasonable and necessary (R&N) requirements, benefit category, and other statutory and regulatory requirements that must be met in order for payment to be justified. In the event of a claim review, a DMEPOS supplier must provide sufficient information to demonstrate that the applicable criteria have been met thus justifying payment. Before submitting a claim to Medicare, the DMEPOS supplier must have on file an SWO, a WOPD (if applicable), information from the treating practitioner concerning the patient's diagnosis, and any information required for the use of specific
The signed answer is the receipt for this code on a date of service: the rule that was in force, with a hash you can replay. The call needs an API key. The source archive and as-of resolution are public.
curl -H "X-API-Key: $VERZI_API_KEY" \
"https://api.verzi.health/v1/rules/warrant?hcpcs=E0840&as_of=2024-01-15&npi=1234567890&state=UT"The current DME MAC LCD L33823, Cervical Traction Devices, version 26, effective 01/01/2020.
NCD 280.1, Durable Medical Equipment Reference List, version 4, is the current national document related from the LCD.
If an E0840 or E0850 is ordered, it will be denied as not reasonable and necessary.
Request a free API key and call the signed-answer endpoint with the HCPCS code, a date of service, the supplier NPI, and a state. The response is a receipt for the published rule on that date, not a guarantee of payment.