Home Health Supplies

HHSC provides specific home health supply products as a pharmacy benefit to clients enrolled in Medicaid, CHIP, the CSHCN Services Program, and KHC Program.  The covered products include the following:

  • Aerosol Holding Chamber
  • Diabetic Lancets
  • Diabetic Monitor (talking)
  • Diabetic Test Strips
  • Hypertonic Salines
  • Insulin Needles
  • Insulin Syringes
  • Oral Electrolyte Replacement Fluid
  • Spring Powered Device for Lancet

CMS classifies these products as a Title XIX (Medicaid) home health benefit as either durable medical equipment (DME) or medical supplies. These supplies do not require prior authorization unless otherwise specified.

Pharmacies are not required to enroll as a Medicaid durable medical equipment (DME) provider to supply these products. Pharmacies already enrolled as Medicaid DME providers can submit claims as either a pharmacy benefit or medical benefit. Contact the Texas Medicaid and Healthcare Partnership (TMHP) for instructions about submitting medical claims.

A physician must prescribe all DME and home health supplies. Advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants cannot prescribe these products to clients enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP.

A list of products is available through the Formulary search (txvendordrug.com/formulary/formulary-search). You can search by product name, the 11-digit NDC, or select the product from the HCPCS Description dropdown. Additional filters are available to find products payable by each program. Products not included in the search are only available through the Medicaid medical benefit.

HHSC

A prescription is required for HHSC to process pharmacy claims for clients enrolled in fee-for-service Medicaid, the CSHCN Services Program, and KHC Program. HHSC does not require the Home Health Services (Title XIX) DME/Medical Supplies Physician Order Form (TMHP Form F00030) for products dispensed by a pharmacy.

The claim system will reject products submitted as part of a multi-ingredient compound claim with NCPDP error code 70 ("Product/Service Not Covered") and include the message "LHHS products are not covered in a compound claim" in the "Additional Message Information" field (526-FQ).

The claim system will reject claims if the submitted quantity exceeds the maximum unit per filling with NCPDP error code 9G ("Product/Service Not Covered"). If the quantity submitted exceeds the maximum unit per month, the claim system will reject claims with NCPDP error code 76 ("Plan Limitation Exceeded").

If the claim exceeds quantity limits, pharmacy providers must attest the submitted quantity is the actual quantity prescribed based on medical necessity by submitting the following values:

Field NameField NumberValue
Submission Clarification Code420-DK2 (Other override)

Refer to the Claims Billing (B1) Transaction payer sheets for specific transaction, segment, and field requirements.

Refer to the Durable Medical Equipment, Medical Supplies, and Nutritional Products Handbook chapter of the Texas Medicaid Provider Procedures Manual (tmhp.com/resources/provider-manuals/tmppm) for quantity guideline criteria. Refer to the information below for limitations impacting claims paid by HHSC.

ProductFee-for-service limitations
Aerosol Holding Chamber (for use with a metered-dose inhaler)
  • Quantity: 1 unit maximum every 180 days
  • Refills: not limited to 5
Blood Glucose Monitor (Talking)
  • Quantity: 1 unit maximum per three rolling years
  • Refills: not limited to 5
  • Only available for people with visual impairment
Blood Glucose Strips (for monitor)
  • Quantity: 100 units maximum every calendar month
  • Refills: limited to 5
  • Day supply: 30
  • Refill-too-soon utilization: 100%
Blood Glucose Test Strips with Disposable Monitor
  • Quantity: 100 units maximum every calendar month
  • Day supply: 30
  • Refill-too-soon utilization: 100%
  • Refills: limited to 5
Hypertonic Saline Solution 3%
  • Refill-too-soon utilization: 75%
  • Refills: not limited to 5
Hypertonic Saline Solution 7%
  • Refill-too-soon utilization: 75%
  • Refills: not limited to 5
Insulin Needles
  • Refill-too-soon utilization: 75%
  • Refills: not limited to 5
Insulin Syringes (1 cc or less)
  • Refill-too-soon utilization: 75%
  • Refills: not limited to 5
Lancets
  • Quantity: 100 units maximum every calendar month
  • Day supply: 30
  • Refill-too-soon utilization: 100%
  • Refills: limited to 5
Nasal Saline Spray
  • Refill-too-soon utilization: 75%
  • Refills: not limited to 5
Oral Electrolyte Replacement Fluid
  • Refill-too-soon utilization: 75%
  • Refills: not limited to 5
Spring-powered Device for Lancets
  • Quantity: 2 units maximum per rolling year
  • Refills: not limited to 5

Claims for Medicaid do not count towards a client's three prescription-per-month limit. Claims for KHC will count towards a client's four prescription-per-month limit.

HHSC bases its reimbursement rates on the "Home Health DME" Provider Type in the Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Fee Schedule and does not reimburse pharmacies a dispensing fee or delivery incentive. Refer to the TMHP Static Fee Schedule page (public.tmhp.com/FeeSchedules/StaticFeeSchedule/FeeSchedules.aspx) for reimbursement rates.

HHSC does not require the TMHP DME Certification and Receipt Form (Form F00018) for pharmacy claims.

Managed care

Pharmacies submit claims for clients enrolled in Medicaid managed care and CHIP to the client's MCO. MCOs have the flexibility to manage a preferred home health supplies list for the limited home health supplies. Pharmacy providers should contact the client's specific MCO for details.