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Policies & Criteria

Clinical Policies

Trillium Community Health Plan (Trillium) uses the following guidelines (listed in order of significance) to make OHP/Medicaid medical necessity decisions on a case-by-case basis, based on the information submitted with the request.

State/Federally Developed

  1. Oregon Administrative Rules, Oregon Health Authority Health Systems Division, Chapter 410
  2. Oregon Health Plan (OHP) Prioritized LIst and Guideline Notes
  3. Oregon Health Evidence Review Commission (HERC) Completed Guidances
  4. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) National Coverage Determinations (NCDs) and Local Coverage Determinations (LCDs)

Non-State or Federally Developed

  1. InterQual Clinical Decision Support Criteria (Attachment 1 2017 Summary of Changes)
  2. American College of Radiology (ACR) Appropriateness Criteria
  3. National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Practice Guidelines in Oncology

See OR.CP.MP.500 Requests for Authorization – Oregon Health Plan (OHP) for authorization hierarchy.

If you have any questions regarding these policies, please contact Provider Services at 1-877-600-5472.

Pharmacy Criteria

Trillium Community Health Plan’s goal is to offer the right drug coverage to our members. Trillium Oregon Health Plan (OHP) covers prescription and some over the counter drugs when they are ordered by a licensed prescriber registered with the state of Oregon to provide services to OHP members. The pharmacy program does not cover all drugs. Some drugs need prior approval and some have a limit on the amount of drug that can be given.

Clinical policies are one set of guidelines used to assist in administering health plan benefits. Clinical policies help identify whether services are medically necessary based on information found in generally accepted standards of medical practice; peer-reviewed medical literature; government agency/program approval status; evidence-based guidelines and positions of leading national health professional organizations; views of physicians practicing in relevant clinical areas affected by the policy; and other available clinical information. 

The Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee is comprised of community doctors and pharmacists. Together we work to offer drugs used to treat many conditions and illnesses. All clinical policies are reviewed annually by the P&T Committee, which meets quarterly. Approved criteria and revisions made by the P&T Committee go into effect the first day of the month the start of the following quarter. All medications newly approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) require prior approval until reviewed by our P&T Committee.

All policies found in the Trillium Community Health Plan Clinical Policy Manual apply to Trillium Community Health Plan members. Policies in the Trillium Community Health Plan Clinical Policy Manual may have either a Trillium Community Health Plan or a “Centene” heading. Polices listed as being approved for the Medicaid and/or Oregon Health Plan lines of business apply to prior authorization requests for Trillium OHP members.

All prior authorization requests are subject to the Oregon Health Plan’s Prioritized List and Guideline Notes in addition to applicable clinical policy coverage guidelines. Requests for non-preferred medications not listed on Trillium OHP’s Preferred Drug List (PDL) require trial and failure of preferred options prior to approval unless submitted documentation can support the medical necessity of the non-preferred medication.

If you have any questions regarding these policies, please contact Member Services and ask to be directed to the Pharmacy department.

Payment Policies

Health care claims payment policies are guidelines used to assist in administering payment rules based on generally accepted principles of correct coding.  They are used to help identify whether health care services are correctly coded for reimbursement.  Each payment rule is sourced by a generally accepted coding principle. They include, but are not limited to claims processing guidelines referenced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Publication 100-04, Claims Processing Manual for  physicians/non-physician practitioners, the CMS National Correct Coding Initiative policy manual (procedure-to-procedure coding combination edits and medically unlikely edits), Current Procedural Technology guidance published by the American Medical Association (AMA) for reporting medical procedures and services, health plan clinical policies based on the appropriateness of health care and medical necessity, and at times state-specific claims reimbursement guidance.

All policies found in the Trillium Community Health Plan Payment Policy Manual apply with respect to Trillium Community Health Plan members. Policies in the Trillium Community Health Plan Payment Policy Manual may have either a Trillium Community Health Plan or a “Centene” heading.  In addition, Trillium Community Health Plan may from time to time employ a vendor that applies payment policies to specific services; in such circumstances, the vendor’s guidelines may also be used to determine whether a service has been correctly coded. Other policies (e.g., clinical policies) or contract terms may further determine whether a technology, procedure or treatment that is not addressed in the Payment Policy Manual is payable by Trillium Community Health Plan.     

If you have any questions regarding these policies, please contact Member Services and ask to be directed to the Medical Management department.

Behavioral Health Policies

Policy Reference Number Policy Name Description
OR.MM.BH.112 (PDF) Involuntary Psychiatric Care Trillium provides psychiatric care as outlined in our contract with Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR). Trillium makes reasonable effort to provide covered services on a voluntary basis consistent with current Declaration for Mental Health Treatment in lieu of involuntary treatment.

Other Policies

Policy Reference Number Policy Name Description
OR.MM.117 (PDF) Advance Directives To provide opportunity for and educate members about their right to be involved in decisions regarding their care including documentation of advance directives and allowance of the member’s representative to facilitate care or make treatment decisions when the member is unable to do so.
OR.CP.MP.500 (PDF) Requests for Authorization - Oregon Health Plan (OHP) To ensure that Trillium staff and any delegated entities making Utilization Management decisions for Oregon Health Plan (OHP) members follow the Oregon Health Plan Prioritized List and subsequent policies/criteria/guidelines to make medical necessity decisions. 
OR.CP.MP.501 (PDF) Applying National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines To provide Trillium staff and any delegated entities making Utilizaton Management decisions for Oregon Health Plan (OHP) members the use of the most up to date NCCN guidelines when the Health Evidence Review Commission's HERC is behind in posting.