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317:30-5-22. Obstetrical care

[Revised 09-12-22]

(a) Obstetrical (OB) care is billed using the appropriate CPT codes for maternity care and delivery. The date of delivery is used as the date of service for charges for total OB care. Inclusive dates of care should be indicated on the claim form as part of the description. Payment for total OB care includes all routine care, and any ultrasounds performed by the attending physician provided during the maternity cycle unless otherwise specified in this Section. For payment of total OB care, a physician must have provided care for more than one (1) trimester. To bill for prenatal care only, the claim is filed after the member leaves the provider's care. Payment for routine or minor medical problems will not be made separately to the OB physician outside of the antepartum visits. The antepartum care during the prenatal care period includes all care by the OB attending physician except major illness distinctly unrelated to the pregnancy.

(b) Procedures paid separately from total OB care are listed in (1) - (8) of this subsection.

(1) The completion of an American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist (ACOG) assessment form or form covering same elements as ACOG, and the most recent version of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority's (OHCA) Prenatal Psychosocial Assessment are reimbursable when both documents are included in the prenatal record. SoonerCare allows one (1) assessment per provider and no more than two (2) per pregnancy.

(2) Medically necessary real time antepartum diagnostic ultrasounds will be paid in addition to antepartum care, delivery, and postpartum OB care under defined circumstances. To be eligible for payment, all ultrasound reports must meet the guideline standards published by the American Institute of Ultrasound Medicine (AIUM).

(A) One (1) ultrasound will be covered in the first trimester of an uncomplicated pregnancy. Both an abdominal and vaginal ultrasound may be allowed when clinically appropriate and medically necessary. The ultrasound must be performed by a  board eligible/board certified obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN), radiologist, or a board eligible/board certified maternal-fetal medicine specialist. In addition, this ultrasound may be performed by a certified nurse midwife (CNM), family practice physician or advanced practice nurse practitioner (APRN) in obstetrics with a certification in OB ultrasonography.

(B) One (1) ultrasound after the first trimester will be covered. This ultrasound must be performed by a board eligible/board certified OB-GYN, radiologist, or a board eligible/board certified maternal-fetal medicine specialist. In addition, this ultrasound may be performed by a CNM, family practice physician, or APRN with certification in OB ultrasonography.

(C) One (1) additional detailed ultrasound is allowed by a board eligible/board certified maternal fetal specialist or general obstetrician with documented specialty training in performing detailed ultrasounds. This additional ultrasound is allowed to identify or confirm a suspected fetal/maternal anomaly. This additional ultrasound does not require prior authorization. Any subsequent ultrasounds will require prior authorization.

(3) Standby attendance at cesarean section (C-section), for the purpose of attending the baby, is compensable when billed by a physician or qualified health care provider not participating in the delivery.

(4) Anesthesia administered by the attending physician is a compensable service and may be billed separately from the delivery.

(5) Amniocentesis is not included in routine OB care and is billed separately. Payment may be made for an evaluation and management service and a medically indicated amniocentesis on the same date of service. This is an exception to general information regarding surgery found at Oklahoma Administrative Code (OAC) 317:30-5-8.

(6) Additional payment is not made for the delivery of multiple gestations. If one (1) fetus is delivered vaginally and additional fetus(es) are delivered by C-section by the same physician, the higher-level procedure is paid. If one (1) fetus is delivered vaginally and additional fetus(es) are delivered by C-section, by different physicians, each should bill the appropriate procedure codes without a modifier. Payment is not made to the same physician for both standby and assistant at C-section.

(7) Reimbursement is allowed for nutritional counseling in a group setting for members with gestational diabetes. Refer to OAC 317:30-5-1076(5).

(8) Limited OB ultrasounds are covered in an emergency room (ER) setting when medically necessary.

(c) Assistant surgeons are paid for C-sections which include only in-hospital post-operative care. Family practitioners who provide prenatal care and assist at C-section bill separately for the prenatal and the six (6) weeks postpartum office visit.

(d) Procedures listed in (1) - (5) of this subsection are not paid or not covered separately from total OB care.

(1) Non stress test, unless the pregnancy is determined medically high risk. See OAC 317:30-5-22.1.

(2) Standby at C-section is not compensable when billed by a physician participating in delivery.

(3) Payment is not made for an assistant surgeon for OB procedures that include prenatal or postpartum care.

(4) An additional allowance is not made for induction of labor, double set-up examinations, fetal stress tests, or pudendal anesthetic. Providers must not bill separately for these procedures.

(5) Fetal scalp blood sampling is considered part of the total OB care.

(e) OB coverage for children is the same as for adults. Additional procedures may be covered under Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) provisions if determined to be medically necessary.

(1) Services deemed medically necessary and allowable under federal Medicaid regulations are covered by the EPSDT/OHCA Child Health Program even though those services may not be part of the OHCA SoonerCare program. Such services must be prior authorized.

(2) Federal Medicaid regulations also require the State to make the determination as to whether the service is medically necessary and do not require the provision of any items or services that the State determines are not safe and effective or which are considered experimental. For more information regarding experimental or investigational and clinical trials see OAC 317:30-3-57.1.

Disclaimer. The OHCA rules found on this Web site are unofficial. The official rules are published by the Oklahoma Secretary of State Office of Administrative Rules as Title 317 of the Oklahoma Administrative Code. To order an official copy of these rules, contact the Office of Administrative Rules at (405) 521-4911.