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Anesthesia Coding Alert

Reader Question:

Cardiac Anesthesia Includes Hypothermia Code

Published on Sun Sep 09, 2007

 Question: Can we code induced hypothermia and hypotension in addition to anesthesia during a cardiac bypass procedure? 

New York Subscriber

 
 Answer: No, you cannot bill add-on codes +99116 (Anesthesia complicated by utilization of total body hypothermia [list separately in addition to code for primary anesthesia procedure]) or +99135 (Anesthesia complicated by utilization of controlled hypotension [list separately in addition to code for primary anesthesia procedure]) with cardiac bypass graft (CABG) anesthesia codes.

 Here's why: Your codes in question are cardiac anesthesia codes 00562 (Anesthesia for procedures on heart, pericardial sac, and great vessels of chest; with pump oxygenator), 00563 (... with pump oxygenator with hypothermic circulatory arrest) and 00566 (Anesthesia for direct coronary artery bypass grafting without pump oxygenator). The cardiac bypass pump itself lowers the patient's blood pressure and temperature without the anesthesiologist intervening. You cannot bill it separately because the service is part of the routine anesthesia care. 
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