Does Medicaid cover artificial urinary sphincter and male urethral sling surgery?—a state-by-state analysis

BACKGROUND: Information regarding the Medicaid coverage of artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) and male suburethral slings (MS) placement in the United States (US) is not readily available. In this manuscript, we seek to elucidate the state-by-state Medicaid coverage of these two procedures in the US. METHODS: State Medicaid websites were utilized to access publicly available physician fee schedules for the calendar year 2020. Fee schedules were searched for current procedural terminology (CPT) codes. CPT codes representing insertion of tandem cuff, insertion of AUS, removal of AUS, removal and replacement AUS, sling operation for correction of male stress urinary incontinence (SUI), and removal or revision of sling for male SUI were utilized. Data were recorded by the procedure for each device, including the coverage status and physician fees. RESULTS: Of the 50 US states analyzed, 49 publish publicly accessible physician fee schedules. All 49 of these states reported coverage for removal with and without revision of the AUS, and 48 states reported coverage for insertion of an AUS, and insertion of a tandem cuff. The median reimbursement for each AUS related procedure was $624.00 ($181.84–$10,960.90) for tandem cuff, $665.54 ($199.89–$11,949.86) for AUS insertion, $528.03 ($146.90–$1,893.12) for AUS removal, and $630.29 ($208.55–$11,586.74) for AUS revision. All 49 states reported coverage for placement of MS, and 48 states reported coverage for removal or revision of MS. The median reimbursement was $652.57 ($198.00–$5,237.35) for MS placement and $554.47 ($104.27–$2,288.93) for MS revision. CONCLUSIONS: AUS and MS procedures in the Medicaid population are covered by nearly all states. Therefore, surgical treatment of SUI may be offered to Medicaid patients in most states without reimbursement concerns.