Anesthesia Coding Alert

Necessity, time, and signatures top list of watch points.Every detail counts when your anesthesia providers place invasive lines that are separately reportable from the standard anesthesia service.Keep in mind that line placement is a surgical procedure, so the service must be documented before a payer will reimburse.Avoid denials by training your anesthesia providers to consistently document these five components of line insertion, as recommended by Judith Blaszczyk, RN, CPC, ACS-PM, of Auditing for Compliance and Education in Leawood, Kan.1. Support Medical NecessityBecause standard anesthesia care includes so many services, documenting medical necessity for additional lines is key. For example, the patient might have coarctation (747.10, Coarctation of aorta [preductal] [postductal]), a narrowing of the aorta between the upper and lower body branches. That type of condition or more common issues such as circulatory problems might also require an additional arterial line for the anesthesiologist's monitoring purposes.2. Watch the ClockYour providers [...]