Anesthesia Coding Alert

Question: I heard that when a surgery is performed by two surgeons that you can bill for two separate anesthesia sessions using an XP modifier. Is that true or should it be billed as one anesthesia sessions using the code with the highest RVU?

Michigan Subscriber

Answer: No, you are not able to bill for two separate anesthesia sessions just because the procedure involved two surgeons. Your provider is caring for a single patient during a single operative session, so you only report one anesthesia code.

If the surgeons completed different procedures, crosswalk both surgery CPT^® codes to find the associated anesthesia codes. Then report the anesthesia code with the higher number of base units with the total amount of time for all procedures in the case. The total units on your claim will be comprised of the anesthesia code’s base units plus the total time units.

Also: Anesthesia providers are not eligible for reporting modifier XP (Separate practitioner). That modifier is reserved for surgical procedure providers. Those who can report modifier XP append it to identify a distinct service that a patient receives from a different provider who performs the service on the patient.