Anesthesia Coding Alert
Cardiac Bypass Anesthesia Includes +99116 and +99135
Question: Can we code for 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 coronary artery 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 as indicated in the coding comments.
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