Coverage Decisions for Medical Technologies & Procedures

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries' (L&I) web site does not properly display because JavaScript is disabled or not supported by your browser.The following links may help you navigate the L&I web site:

Topic Index.

Home.

Safety.

Find a Law (RCW) or Rule (WAC).

Help.


Coverage Decisions for Medical Technologies & Procedures

IDET (Intradiscal heating)

Coverage decision

L&I does not cover intradiscal heating techniques. We have found no substantial scientific evidence documenting the long-term safety and efficacy of intradiscal heating, particularly in the injured worker population.

IDET or intradiscal heating, consists of inserting a needle or catheter into an intervertebral disc space to deliver controlled heat for treatment of discogenic pain. There are 2 methods currently employed to deliver heat to a herniated disc:

Radiofrequency generated heat and,
Heat generated by a resistive coil at the tip of a catheter.

PDF icon Provider Bulletin 04-01 (99 KB PDF)
IDET technology assessment update (127 KB PDF)
IDET technology assessment (181 KB PDF)

For more information:
Contact information.

Get Help Downloading Files.