Anesthesia Coding Alert

Question: What is the correct way to code for anesthesia related to angioplasty on a dialysis circuit? If the other physician reports 39602 for ultrasonic or fluoroscopic guidance, would it be correct to report 01930 for the anesthesia? Or would that code only apply if the procedure was performed by an interventional radiologist?

Massachusetts Subscriber

Answer: Begin by looking at 36902 (Introduction of needle(s) and/or catheter(s), dialysis circuit, with diagnostic angiography of the dialysis circuit, including all direct puncture(s) and catheter placement(s), injection(s) of contrast, all necessary imaging from the arterial anastomosis and adjacent artery through entire venous outflow including the inferior or superior vena cava, fluoroscopic guidance, radiological supervision and interpretation and image documentation and report; with transluminal balloon angioplasty, peripheral dialysis segment, including all imaging and radiological supervision and interpretation necessary to perform the angioplasty) for the procedure code since you don’t mention a stent. This code is specifically for angioplasty on the peripheral dialysis segment (AV fistula is on the arm) and crosswalks to 01916 (Anesthesia for diagnostic arteriography/venography), which is worth five base units.