Lidocaine 5% Patch (Lidoderm) Medicare Covered Indications 1. Post-herpetic neuralgia pain 2. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy 3. Cancer associated pain Lidocaine patches are a commonly utilized option to treat pain. Since it is a general analgesic, it can be effective for many different types of pain. However, if your patient has Medicare insurance, it's important to remember that it will only be covered for 3 indications: PHN pain, DM neuropathy, or cancer pain. These are the 3 indications that it is technically approved for, not other types of pain such as low back pain, shoulder injuries, etc. Remember that is should only be worn for 12 hours on, followed by 12 hours off. Make sure to tell patients to wash their hands after applying/removing the patch in case any residual drug is on their hands. Disposal should be done by folding the patch in half in order to minimize risk of anyone else getting into contact with the drug. #Lidocaine #Patch #Lidoderm #Pharmacology #Indications
