- Home
- Advocacy
- Latest News and Practice Data
- Florida MAC to Retire Special Stains LCD that is Scientifically Inaccurate
First Coast, the Medicare Part A/B Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) for Florida, announced it is retiring its Special Histochemical Stains & Immunohistochemical Stains local coverage determination (LCD) L36234, effective December 11, 2022. The CAP has long advocated for the withdrawal of this LCD since it was issued in 2015 citing, among other issues, the policy’s medically and scientifically inaccurate language and its attempt to define good pathology practice.
The CAP submitted comments to First Coast in response to its proposal to retire the LCD. In its June 30, 2022, letter, the CAP urged First Coast to remove the LCD because the literature cited to support the MAC’s coverage position was outdated and it did not reflect current practice standards for the reasonable and necessary use of immunohistochemistry stains and special stains.
In its decision to retire the LCD, First Coast said the LCD and its corresponding Billing and Coding Article A57708 neither reflect the current standard of practice nor have a significant impact on Medicare expenditures.