Treatment for Fecal Incontinence Requires Preauthorization

Sacral nerve stimulation for treatment of fecal incontinence will require preauthorization beginning Sept. 1, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries announced. Fecal incontinence is a condition in which passage of excrement through the anal canal is not sufficiently restricted. Sacral nerve stimulation may be an effective treatment for patients with severe fecal incontinence who have not responded to conservative treatments. But the procedure is not effective for every patient, the department said, and it carries risks for complications. Providers treating patients who...