Covered by Medicare for patients following an open surgical tracheostomy which has been or is expected to be open for at least three months.

One tracheostomy care kit per day is considered necessary for routine care of tracheostomy. Claims for additional kits for non-routine tracheostomy care must be accompanied by substantiating documentation. Starter kits are only covered for the first two weeks following an open surgical tracheostomy.

Effective 3/1/99, for a patient with a tracheostomy must include the diagnosis of tracheostomy status (V44.0), addition to tracheostomy (V55.0), tracheostomy complications (519.0), trachea/bronchus dis nec (519.1), disorders of diaphragm (519.4), resp system disease nec (519.8) or resp system disease nos (519.9).