Clinical UM Guideline

This document addresses seat lift mechanisms, assistive devices used in the home to lift a person’s body from a sitting position to a standing position or to lower the individual from a standing to a sitting position.

This document does not address powered seat elevation systems used for powered wheeled mobility devices (see CG-DME-31).

Note: Please see the following related documents for additional information:

• CG-DME-10 Durable Medical Equipment
• CG-DME-23 Lifting Devices for Use in the Home
• CG-DME-31 Powered Wheeled Mobility Devices

Medically Necessary:

A seat lift mechanism is considered medically necessary when all the following criteria are met:

1. The individual must have severe arthritis of the hip or knee(s) or have a severe neuromuscular disease; and
2. The seat lift mechanism must be a part of the prescribed course of treatment; and
3. The individual must be completely incapable of standing up from a regular armchair or any chair in their home; and
4. Once standing, the individual must have the ability to ambulate.

Note: Documentation that an individual has difficulty or is even incapable of getting up from a chair, particularly a low chair, is insufficient justification for a seat lift mechanism. Most individuals who are capable of ambulating can raise up out of an ordinary chair if the seat height is appropriate and the chair has arms.

Not Medically Necessary:

1. A seat lift that operates by spring release mechanism with a sudden, catapult-like motion and jolts the individual from a seated to a standing position is considered not medically necessary.
2. A seat lift mechanism is considered not medically necessary when the criteria listed above are not met.

The following codes for treatments and procedures applicable to this document are included below for informational purposes. Inclusion or exclusion of a procedure, diagnosis or device code(s) does not constitute or imply member coverage or provider reimbursement policy. Please refer to the member's contract benefits in effect at the time of service to determine coverage or non-coverage of these services as it applies to an individual member.

When services may be Medically Necessary when criteria are met:

When services are Not Medically Necessary:
For the procedure codes listed above when criteria are not met or for situations designated in the Clinical Indications section as not medically necessary.

Individuals with impaired mobility often require physical assistance in lifting and transferring. Numerous medical conditions (such as, arthritis, muscular dystrophy, and neuromuscular diseases) can lead to limited mobility as a result of pain, joint stiffness or muscle weakness. Individuals are often not able to move from a sitting position to a standing position without the assistance of another person or a device. Devices such as seat lift mechanisms have been employed to ease transfers and prevent injuries to the individual, caregiver, or both. The seat lift mechanism assistive devices are utilized in the individual’s home or place of residence. In establishing medical necessity for the seat lift, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) states the seat lift must be included in the physician's course of treatment, that it is likely to affect improvement or arrest or retard deterioration in the individual's condition, and that the severity of the condition is such that the alternative would be chair or bed confinement (CMS, 1989).

Seat Lift: An assistive device used in the home to lift a person’s body from a sitting position to a standing position or to lower the individual from a standing to a sitting position.

Seat Elevator: An assistive device that raises or lowers a seat vertically while the person remains seated.

Peer Reviewed Publications:

1. Edlich RF, Heather CL, Galumbeck MH. Revolutionary advances in adaptive seating systems for the elderly and persons with disabilities that assist sit-to-stand transfers. J Long Term Eff Med Implants. 2003; 13(1):31-39.

Government Agency, Medical Society, and Other Authoritative Publications:

1. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). National Coverage Determinations. Available at: http://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/overview-and-quick-search.aspx. Accessed on May 2, 2024.
   • Durable Medical Equipment Reference List. NCD #280.1. Effective May 16, 2023.
   • Seat Lift. NCD #280.4. Effective May 1, 1989.

Federal and State law, as well as contract language including definitions and specific coverage provisions/exclusions, and Medical Policy take precedence over Clinical UM Guidelines and must be considered first in determining eligibility for coverage. The member's contract benefits in effect on the date that services are rendered must be used. Clinical UM Guidelines, which address medical efficacy, should be considered before utilizing medical opinion in adjudication. Medical technology is constantly evolving, and we reserve the right to review and update Clinical UM Guidelines periodically. Clinical UM guidelines are used when the plan performs utilization review for the subject. Due to variances in utilization patterns, each plan may choose whether or not to adopt a particular Clinical UM Guideline. To determine if review is required for this Clinical UM Guideline, please contact the customer service number on the back of the member's card.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without permission from the health plan.

© CPT Only – American Medical Association