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Muscular Dystrophy Advanced Evaluation FORMTEXT <Date>ATTN: FORMTEXT <Medical Director/ Physician Name>, MD FORMTEXT <Institution/Insurance Company> FORMTEXT <Street Address> FORMTEXT <City>, FORMTEXT <State> FORMTEXT <Zip>RE: FORMTEXT <Patient Name>DOB: FORMTEXT <MM/DD/YYYY>Member ID: FORMTEXT <Insurance ID Number>Group #: FORMTEXT <Enter Group #>Dear Medical Director:I am writing on behalf of my patient FORMTEXT <Patient Name> to request coverage for the Athena Diagnostics Muscular Dystrophy Advanced Evaluation test (33 genes). I have determined that this test is medically necessary because of the following aspects of my patient’s history: FORMTEXT <Patient Name> is a FORMTEXT <age> -year-old FORMTEXT <gender > with a suspected diagnosis of muscular dystrophy due to the following symptoms and clinical findings:1. FORMTEXT <Symptom #1 with ICD-9 code>2. FORMTEXT <Symptom #2 with ICD-9 code>3. FORMTEXT <Symptom #3 with ICD-9 code>< Add additional details if relevant > The patient’s family history of muscular dystrophy is <negative or unknown; add additional details if relevant>.Additionally, the following testing has previously been performed: <testing previously performed, and how it rules out other etiology>.Rationale for TestingThe muscular dystrophies are a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by skeletal muscle weakness and progressive wasting that may lead to premature death. The disease severity, age of onset, rate of progression, mode of inheritance, complications, and prognosis vary greatly, and the distribution of muscle weakness greatly overlaps among the different forms of muscular dystrophy. These factors make definitive diagnosis extremely difficult.1Subtypes of muscular dystrophy include:Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD): a rapidly progressive muscular dystrophy that usually presents in early childhood with delayed milestones, including delays in sitting and standing independently. It may progress rapidly, with affected children being wheelchair bound by age 12 and experiencing cardiomyopathy after 18 years of age. Death from respiratory or cardiac complications is common in the third decade of life. Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD): characterized by later-onset muscle weakness, but often leads to heart failure and death from dilated cardiomyopathy in the mid-40s. The DMD gene that causes Duchenne and Becker Muscular Dystrophy is located on the X chromosomes and predominantly affects males, although females heterozygous for a DMD mutation are at increased risk for cardiomyopathy.2Limb girdle muscular dystrophy: a group of disorders similar to DMD, but affecting both genders equally because of autosomal inheritance patterns.Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy: characterized by joint contractures beginning in early childhood, slowly progressive muscle weakness in a humeroperoneal distribution, and cardiac involvement after the second decade, with high inter- and intra-familial variability.3Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD): manifests with muscle weakness involving the face, scapular stabilizers, upper arm, lower leg, and hip girdle. Age of onset and symptom severity are highly variable, with 20% of affected individuals requiring a wheelchair.Congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD): a heterogeneous group of inherited muscular dystrophies that typically manifest with weakness apparent at birth or in early infancy. Infants may present with hypotonia or fail to meet motor milestones. It may overlap with LGMD or non-progressive congenital myopathies.4Distal myopathies (DM): present with weakness in the distal muscles of the feet or hands.Traditional DNA sequencing using Sanger-based methodology to detect individual mutations can be time consuming and costly when testing a large numbers of genes. Next-generation sequencing (NGS), on the other hand, allows sequencing of multiple genes simultaneous. Thus, NGS seems appropriate for detecting mutations in disorders that have highly heterogeneous genetic backgrounds, such as the muscular dystrophies. Results from the test may be used to confirm the diagnosis of muscular dystrophies in this patient and to guide medical management and treatment. Specifically, the results may:Inform treatment decisions; for example: Selection of appropriate treatment options, including cardiac and respiratory interventions to prevent life-threatening complications.Help identify candidates for clinical trials for genetically-defined muscular dystrophies.Help avoid a long series of laborious and potentially costly diagnostic procedures. Provide information useful for family planning.In summary, I am requesting that FORMTEXT <Patient Name> be approved for the Muscular Dystrophy Advanced Evaluation (test code 5501) offered by Athena Diagnostics. The CPT codes for this test are 81161(1), 81404(4), 81405(9), 81406(8), 81408(2), 81479(1). I hope you will support my decision to perform muscular dystrophy genetic testing for this patient. Please feel free to contact me at FORMTEXT <Physician Phone> if you have additional questions.Sincerely, FORMTEXT <Physician Name>, MDNPI #: FORMTEXT <Physician NPI#>Contact information: FORMTEXT < Address> FORMTEXT <City>, FORMTEXT <State> FORMTEXT <Zip>Contact Phone No.: FORMTEXT <phone number>References1. Mercuri E, Muntoni F. Muscular dystrophies. Lancet 2013:381:845-60.2. Darras BT, Miller DT, Urion DK. Dystrophinopathies (last updated 2014). In: Pagon RA, Adam MP, Bird TD, et al, eds. GeneReviews. Seattle, WA:1993. 3. Bonne G, Leturcq F, Ben Yaou R. Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (last updated 2013). In: Pagon RA, Adam MP, Bird TD, et al, eds. GeneReviews. Seattle, WA:1993.4. Sparks S, Quijano-Roy S, Harper A, et al. Congenital muscular dystrophy overview (last updated 2012). In: Pagon RA, Adam MP, Bird TD, et al, eds. GeneReviews. Seattle, WA:1993. ................
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