CPT 60661, in plain terms, covers Add-on for percutaneous ablation of 1 or more thyroid nodules in another thyroid lobe, reported per additional lobe, with imaging guidance included. CPT 60661 is referenced in 8 tracked payer policy changes from Capital Blue Cross, Premera Blue Cross, and 4 other payers. For billers and coders, staying current on payer-specific coverage criteria, reimbursement rules, and prior-authorization requirements for CPT 60661 is critical to clean claim submission. Each entry below links to the full policy analysis with effective dates and action steps.
Official descriptor: CPT 60661 on AAPC
Capital Blue Cross has implemented new prior authorization requirements for specialty injectable medications and medical procedures. Key changes include PA requirements for new drug Itvisma (J3590), power wheelchair accessories (E0986), and radiofrequency ablation of thyroid tumors (60660, 60661).
Premera's January 2025 update adds Carelon imaging, genetic testing and radiation oncology guideline changes for dates of service on and after April 20, 2025, and adds new Insulin Therapy and SGLT2 Inhibitors pharmacy policies effective January 1, 2025. It also adds Kisunla to the amyloid antibody policy and lists coding updates that now require review for medical necessity and prior authorization, including amyloid antibody code J0175, folate antimetabolite code J9292, and sickle cell disease code J3392.
With effective dates from January 1, 2026 through April 8, 2026. The update adds medical necessity and prior authorization review for electrophysiology studies, endovascular stent grafts for abdominal aortic aneurysms, shoulder arthrotomy, shoulder arthroscopy, abdominal wall hernia repair, and hip, knee and spine surgeries for Standard and Basic Federal Employee Program plans, and it expands site of service ASC review to upper GI endoscopy and shoulder procedures. It also changes many drug criteria, including preferred product and quantity limit updates, adds Carelon review for advanced imaging, and lists codes that became non-covered, investigational or terminated.
The Indiana Health Coverage Programs (IHCP) set coverage and billing information for procedure codes in the April 2026 quarterly HCPCS update, effective for dates of service on or after April 1, 2026. This bulletin replaces the originally published update in IHCP Bulletin BT202649, and it sets prior authorization criteria for J3404, J9183, and the Q5161 and Q5162 biosimilars. Codes discontinued effective March 31, 2026 have no alternative codes identified by the IHCP, and codes marked allowed for podiatrists (provider specialty 140) are limited to that provider specialty.
Aetna considers radiofrequency ablation (RFA) medically necessary for indications that include colorectal cancer liver metastases, colorectal cancer lung metastases of 5 cm or less where the primary colorectal tumor has been resected for cure (R0 resection), malignant lung masses in persons who are not candidates for surgical intervention, solitary hepatocellular carcinoma of 5 cm or less or multinodular early-stage HCC in members who are ineligible for or decline surgical resection or transplantation, renal cell carcinoma up to 4 cm in high-risk surgical candidates or in persons with renal insufficiency or a solitary kidney, and osteoid osteoma in individuals who remain symptomatic despite NSAIDs. Aetna considers RFA experimental, investigational, or unproven for combined RFA with transarterial chemoembolization for intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma, combined endoluminal RFA and stenting for malignant biliary obstruction or stricture, combined RFA and vertebral cement augmentation for spinal metastases, endoscopic ultrasound-guided RFA for aldosterone-producing adenomas, and all other indications, including curative treatment of primary or metastatic malignant neoplasms in persons able to tolerate surgical resection, biliary obstructions or strictures, renal cysts, renal angiomyolipomas, Brunner's gland hyperplasia, and unresectable localized recurrent thyroid cancers without distant metastases.
Aetna considers radiofrequency ablation (RFA) medically necessary for several tumor indications, including colorectal cancer liver metastases, colorectal lung metastases of 5 cm or less where the primary colorectal tumor has been resected for cure (R0 resection), and malignant lung masses in persons who are not candidates for surgical intervention. Solitary hepatocellular carcinoma of 5 cm or less is covered in members who are ineligible for or decline surgical resection or transplantation, and renal cell carcinoma up to 4 cm is covered in high-risk surgical candidates, persons with renal insufficiency, or persons with a solitary kidney. The policy lists curative RFA of malignant neoplasms in persons who are able to tolerate surgical resection, combined RFA with trans-arterial chemoembolization for intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma, combined endoluminal RFA and stenting for malignant biliary obstruction or stricture, and combined RFA with vertebral cement augmentation for spinal metastases as experimental, investigational, or unproven.
Already effective July 1, 2025, Louisiana Blue accepts only the CAQH application for professional credentialing and recredentialing, and the Louisiana Standardized Credentialing Application was accepted for participating providers until June 30. Added codes in the Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services and Outpatient Procedure Services code ranges have effective dates of January 1, 2025 and April 1, 2025, including 15013, 15014, 38226 and 38227. For infusion therapy, the prior authorization must include all codes billed, including administration codes, or penalties will be applied to the claim.
BCBSMS updated its Radiofrequency Ablation of Miscellaneous Solid Tumors Excluding Liver Tumors policy on 04/06/2026. The policy description no longer includes the section on health disparities in certain solid tumor types, and the policy statements are unchanged. The code reference also removed its ICD-9 procedure and diagnosis codes.
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