UnitedHealth places tighter controls on hysterectomies

(Reuters) - UnitedHealth Group Inc, the largest health insurer in the United States, is placing tighter controls on its coverage of hysterectomies after a device called a morcellator was linked to the spread of undiagnosed cancer cells. In an update to its reimbursement guidelines, UnitedHealth said that, starting April 6, it will require physicians to obtain authorization before carrying out certain types of hysterectomies, a procedure in which a woman's uterus is removed for reasons ranging from fibroids or endometriosis to chronic pelvic pain. UnitedHealth said it will not require prior authorization for vaginal hysterectomies, in which the uterus is removed through the vagina, when done on an outpatient basis. In its update, the insurer cites the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists as identifying vaginal hysterectomies as the preferred method.



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