Anesthesia Coding Alert

Question: Does an anesthesiologist performing a pain management procedure report the surgical CPT code or the applicable anesthesia code? For example, code 62310 cross references to 01992. Which should I report?

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Answer: An anesthesiologist obviously provides anesthesia services but can sometimes act as the MD/surgeon for pain management or certain E/M services. When your physician performs the actual procedure instead of providing anesthesia while another physician provides the service, bill with the appropriate surgical CPT code and report it as a Type of Service "02" (surgical service). Report the same code but as a Type of Service "07" (anesthesia) if your physician provided anesthesia for someone else to perform the service.
 
All surgical CPT codes cross reference the applicable anesthesia code, so don't let that confuse you. When you look up 62310 (Injection, single [not via indwelling catheter], not including neurolytic substances, with or without contrast [for either localization or epidurography], of diagnostic or therapeutic substance[s] [including anesthetic, antispasmodic, opioid, steroid, other solution], epidural or subarachnoid; cervical or thoracic) and it cross references 01992 (Anesthesia for diagnostic or therapeutic nerve blocks and injections [when block or injection is performed by a different provider]; prone position), base your coding on what the carrier requires (some require anesthesia codes, but others want surgical codes) and the anesthesiologist's capacity during the procedure.
 
A rule of thumb is always to report surgical codes when the anesthesiologist performs pain management services; otherwise, report anesthesia codes.

 - Answers to You Be the Coder and Reader Questions were reviewed by Debbie Gulledge, CPC, a coder with Anesthesia Associates of Rock Hill in Charlotte, N.C.