Anesthesia Coding Alert
Start With 00600 for Anesthesia During Rhizotomy
Question: What are the correct anesthesia codes for facet rhizotomy?
Tennessee Subscriber
Answer: Rhizotomy is a surgical procedure to sever nerve roots in the spine as a way to relieve chronic back pain and muscle spasms. CPT® currently includes two code choices for rhizotomy: 63185 (Laminectomy with rhizotomy; 1 or 2 segments) and 63190 (… more than 2 segments). Correct coding depends on the number of segments involved rather than the spinal region treated.
If the surgeon reports 63185, the primary anesthesia code is 00600 (Anesthesia for procedures on cervical spine and cord; not otherwise specified), which carries 10 base units. Other alternate anesthesia codes include 00604 (Anesthesia for procedures on cervical spine and cord; procedures with patient in the sitting position), 00620 (Anesthesia for procedures on thoracic spine and cord, not otherwise specified), 00630 (Anesthesia for procedures in lumbar region; not otherwise specified), and 00670 (Anesthesia for extensive spine and spinal cord procedures [e.g., spinal instrumentation or vascular procedures]). The coder should select the most applicable, highest base code.
Code 63190 also crosses to anesthesia code 00670, with 13 base units.
Note: Rhizotomy is a surgical procedure that involves the cutting of nerve roots in the spinal cord to relive the symptoms of neuromuscular conditions. The procedure is performed through laminotomy or laminectomy and is performed under general anesthesia.
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Start With 00600 for Anesthesia During Rhizotomy
Question: What are the correct anesthesia codes for facet rhizotomy? Tennessee Subscriber Answer: Rhizotomy is a surgical [...]
