Anesthesia Coding Alert

Question: One part of PQRS measure #404 (Anesthesiology smoking abstinence) states, “Seen pre-operatively by anesthesiologist or proxy prior to the day of surgery.” What does “proxy” mean in this instance?

Michigan Subscriber

Answer: The guideline might vary depending on your facility, so ask your coworkers, a provider, or your compliance officer what the policy is. For example, in some hospitals the nurse who makes the pre-op call the day before surgery will ask whether the patient smokes. On the day of the procedure, the anesthesia provider needs to follow this up by asking if the patient smoked prior to coming for their surgery.