As the COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed hospital systems worldwide, the need arose for outpatient therapies and strategies to decrease hospitalizations and identify patients at risk for developing severe diseases. Monoclonal antibodies used for the treatment of COVID-19 target the viral spike protein, which prevents viral entry. The effective management of COVID-19 with monoclonal antibodies and ensuring patient safety requires the coordinated efforts of an interprofessional healthcare team, including clinicians (MDs, DOs, NPs, PAs), specialists (e.g., infectious disease specialists, virologists), pharmacists, nurses, and medical assistants. During this interim time, well maintain the administration payment amounts when you infuse or inject these products in health care settings and in the home, as described below. Bamlan and etesev infus home, Note: This product isnt currently authorized[6], Long descriptor: Injection, sotrovimab, 500 mg, Long Descriptor: Intravenous infusion, sotrovimab, includes infusion and post administration monitoring, Long Descriptor: Intravenous infusion, sotrovimab, includes infusion and post administration monitoring in the home or residence; this includes a beneficiarys home that has been made provider-based to the hospital during the COVID-19 public health emergency, Short Descriptor: Sotrovimab inf, home admin, Genentechs Antibody ACTEMRA (tocilizumab), Long descriptor: Injection, tocilizumab, for hospitalized adults and pediatric patients (2 years of age and older) with covid-19 who are receiving systemic corticosteroids and require supplemental oxygen, non-invasive or invasive mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) only, 1 mg, Short descriptor: Tocilizumab for COVID-19, Long Descriptor: Intravenous infusion, tocilizumab, for hospitalized adults and pediatric patients (2 years of age and older) with covid-19 who are receiving systemic corticosteroids and require supplemental oxygen, non-invasive or invasive mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) only, includes infusion and post administration monitoring, first dose, Short Descriptor: Adm Tocilizu COVID-19 1st, Long descriptor: Intravenous infusion, tocilizumab, for hospitalized adults and pediatric patients (2 years of age and older) with covid-19 who are receiving systemic corticosteroids and require supplemental oxygen, non-invasive or invasive mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) only, includes infusion and post administration monitoring, second dose, Short descriptor: Adm Tocilizu COVID-19 2nd, AstraZenecas Antibody EVUSHELD (tixagevimab and Cilgavimab)Note: This product isnt currently authorized[8], Long descriptor: Injection, tixagevimab and cilgavimab, for the pre-exposure prophylaxis only, for certain adults and pediatric individuals (12 years of age and older weighing at least 40kg) with no known sars-cov-2 exposure, who either have moderate to severely compromised immune systems or for whom vaccination with any available covid-19 vaccine is not recommended due to a history of severe adverse reaction to a covid-19 vaccine(s) and/or covid-19 vaccine component(s), 300 mg, Long descriptor: Injection, tixagevimab and cilgavimab, for the pre-exposure prophylaxis only, for certain adults and pediatric individuals (12 years of age and older weighing at least 40kg) with no known sars-cov-2 exposure, who either have moderate to severely compromised immune systems or for whom vaccination with any available covid-19 vaccine is not recommended due to a history of severe adverse reaction to a covid-19 vaccine(s) and/or covid-19 vaccine component(s), includes injection and post administration monitoring, Long descriptor: Injection, tixagevimab and cilgavimab, for the pre-exposure prophylaxis only, for certain adults and pediatric individuals (12 years of age and older weighing at least 40kg) with no known sars-cov-2 exposure, who either have moderate to severely compromised immune systems or for whom vaccination with any available covid-19 vaccine is not recommended due to a history of severe adverse reaction to a covid-19 vaccine(s) and/or covid-19 vaccine component(s), includes injection and post administration monitoring in the home or residence; this includes a beneficiarys home that has been made provider-based to the hospital during the covid-19 public health emergency, Short descriptor: Tixagev and cilgav inj hm, Long Descriptor:Injection, tixagevimab and cilgavimab, for the pre-exposure prophylaxis only, for certain adults and pediatric individuals (12 years of age and older weighing at least 40kg) with no known sars-cov-2 exposure, who either have moderate to severely compromised immune systems or for whom vaccination with any available covid-19 vaccine is not recommended due to a history of severe adverse reaction to a covid-19 vaccine(s) and/or covid-19 vaccine component(s), 600 mg, Short Descriptor:Tixagev and cilgav, 600mg, Long descriptor:Injection, tixagevimab and cilgavimab, for the pre-exposure prophylaxis only, for certain adults and pediatric individuals (12 years of age and older weighing at least 40kg) with no known sars-cov-2 exposure, who either have moderate to severely compromised immune systems or for whom vaccination with any available covid-19 vaccine is not recommended due to a history of severe adverse reaction to a covid-19 vaccine(s) and/or covid-19 vaccine component(s), includes injection and post administration monitoring, Long descriptor:Injection, tixagevimab and cilgavimab, for the pre-exposure prophylaxis only, for certain adults and pediatric individuals (12 years of age and older weighing at least 40kg) with no known sars-cov-2 exposure, who either have moderate to severely compromised immune systems or for whom vaccination with any available covid-19 vaccine is not recommended due to a history of severe adverse reaction to a covid-19 vaccine(s) and/or covid-19 vaccine component(s), includes injection and post administration monitoring in the home or residence; this includes a beneficiarys home that has been made provider-based to the hospital during the covid-19 public health emergency, Short descriptor:Tixagev and cilgav inj hm, Eli Lilly and Companys Antibody Bebtelovimab (PDF), Note: This product isnt currently authorized[7], Long descriptor:Injection, bebtelovimab, 175 mg, Long Descriptor:Intravenous injection, bebtelovimab, includes injection and post administration monitoring, Long Descriptor:Intravenous injection, bebtelovimab, includes injection and post administration monitoring in the home or residence; this includes a beneficiarys home that has been made provider-basedto the hospital during the covid-19 public health emergency, Short Descriptor: Bebtelovimab injection home. Risk factors for severe and critically ill COVID-19 patients: A review. All adverse events related to monoclonal antibody treatment must be reported according to the instructions found in the fact sheets released by the FDA. Monoclonal antibody treatments are infusions of lab-made proteins that mimic the immune system's ability to fight off COVID. Side effects may occur from mAbs treatment including rash, diarrhea, nausea, dizziness and pruritis (itchy skin). Monoclonal antibodies, . Several potential outpatient therapies have been suggested as a way to treat symptoms and prevent progression to severe disease, including colchicine,hydroxychloroquine,inhaled corticosteroids,ivermectin,and fluvoxamine. In response to the COVID-19 PHE, the governmentinitially purchased the COVID-19 monoclonal antibody products and made them available for free. Effective for services furnished on or after May 6, 2021, the Medicare payment rate for administering COVID-19 monoclonal antibody products through infusion in a patients home or residence is approximately $750. Medicare Part B will provide payment for the drug and its administration under the applicable Medicare Part B payment policy when you provide it in the outpatient setting, according to the FDA approval. pain. Infusion-related reactions typically present after 30to 60 minutes after initiating the infusion. Under the terms of the EUA, tocilizumab may only be infused in the hospital setting, in limited clinical situations. For patients who meet the criteria for repeat dosing, the authorized dosage is an initial dose of 1200 mg, followed by subsequent repeat dosing of 600 mg once every 4 weeks for the duration of ongoing exposure. For most Medicare Advantage hospice patients, submit claims to Original Medicare. Prevention and early treatment for eligible patients can help improve patient outcomes, reduce stress on healthcare facilities, and even save lives. Monoclonal antibody therapy for COVID-19 is well tolerated with minimal risks. ( Dolgin E. 'Super-antibodies' could curb COVID-19 and help avert future pandemics. COVID-19 VEKLURY(Remdesivir) in the Outpatient Setting. If you give 2 infusions in the same day, you should include the total units for both infusions with the product code Q0249 on 1 line (per day). Then, your dose will be reduced to 300 mg every other week. Some people report mild side effects, like headache or stomach upset/nausea. When the government provides COVID-19 monoclonal antibody products for free, providers should only bill for the administration; dont include the monoclonal antibody product codes on these claims. Official websites use .govA Flu-like symptoms (fever, sweating, chills, cough, sore throat, headache or muscle pain) Upset stomach (nausea, vomiting or diarrhea) Itching, swelling, rash or hives. Thus far, a single intramuscular injection of the antibodies reduced symptomatic Covid risk by 77% compared with the placebo during the first one to five months of a planned 15 months of follow-up. CMS geographically adjusts the rate based on where you furnish the service. On January 21, 2022, the FDA approved a supplemental New Drug Application (NDA) for VEKLURY,which expanded its approval for use in the outpatient setting. For more information about the limits of authorized use for these monoclonal antibody therapies, including information about viral variants and antiviral resistance, review the following: The virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) is constantly changing, and CDC expects new viral variants to continue to emerge. Secure .gov websites use HTTPSA [6] On April 5, 2022, the FDA announced that, due to the high frequency of the Omicron BA.2 sub-variant, sotrovimab isnt currently authorized in any U.S. region. Ju B, Zhang Q, Ge J, Wang R, Sun J, Ge X, Yu J, Shan S, Zhou B, Song S, Tang X, Yu J, Lan J, Yuan J, Wang H, Zhao J, Zhang S, Wang Y, Shi X, Liu L, Zhao J, Wang X, Zhang Z, Zhang L. Human neutralizing antibodies elicited by SARS-CoV-2 infection. swelling. As a result, Medicare hasnt created a separate HCPCS code for billing for the higher Medicare payment amount for administering tocilizumab in the home. You should also refer to theCDC websiteand information from state and local health authorities regarding reports of viral variants of importance in your region to guide treatment decisions. For more information about viral variants in your area to help you make treatment decisions: Eligible administration sites must coordinate with their respective state or territorial health department to order these COVID-19 monoclonal antibodies: Get more information on the ordering process and reporting requirements.