Introduction
The Anesthesia section of CPT is associated with the anesthesia services provided by an anesthesiologist or certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA). Services include administration of local, regional, epidural, and/or general anesthesia. Documentation by the anesthesiologist or CRNA of preoperative evaluation of the patient in the history and physical is required.
The anesthesiologist or CRNA is also responsible for the patient’s post-anesthesia recovery period. Anesthesia codes describe a general anatomic area or service that is associated with several surgical procedures. One anesthesia code is often reported for many different surgical procedures that share similar anesthesia requirements. The Anesthesia section guidelines include four codes in the Medicine section call qualifying circumstances codes.
Objectives
Upon completion of this module, the student will be able to:
- Given a procedure/service, successfully assign CPT code(s) for anesthesia services
- Apply “qualifying circumstances” and “ physical status” codes to anesthesiology services
- Identify the Physical status modifiers for use with anesthesia codes
- Identify the CPT and HCPCS modifiers to be reported with anesthesia codes
Readings & Resources
Required textbook reading: Kuehn, Lynn. Procedural Coding and Reimbursement for Physician Services: Applying Current Procedural Terminology and HCPCS. AHIMA Press. 2012 edition.
Chapter 3
AMA, Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) 2013. Professional Edition.