Anesthesia Coding Alert
Reader Question:
Anesthesia Service Includes Monitoring of Vitals
Published on Thu Sep 12, 2013
Question: Is there a billable code for monitoring oxygen and heart function during vein surgery (endovenous ablation)? The physician performs the procedure in an office setting and bills 36478, 36479, and/or 36470.
Answer: Monitoring the patient’s oxygen, heart rate, and blood pressure is always included in the scope of the main procedure. If you’re billing for the anesthesiologist’s service, only report the applicable anesthesia code and the associated time units.
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