Anesthesia Coding Alert

Question: Our anesthesiologist used a pump oxygenator during a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). How should I code for this?

Montana Subscriber

Answer: Because your anesthesiologist used the pump oxygenator, you'll report 00562 (Anesthesia for procedures on heart, pericardial sac, and great vessels of chest; with pump oxygenator). If he had performed the procedure without the oxygenator, you would report 00566 (Anesthesia for direct coronary artery bypass grafting without pump oxygenator) instead.

Difference: Most physicians use the pump oxygenator during CABG cases. However, some opt to complete the procedure without this device, usually when the procedure is a single or double bypass.

You should always be able to find notes regarding whether your anesthesiologist used the pump oxygenator during the procedure, especially when the procedure is completed offpump. Make sure that you remind your physicians of the necessity of clear documentation. This is especially important in cases such as CABG, because the off-pump code (00566) carries five more base units than the on-pump code (00562).