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Anesthesia Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

Ask Carrier Before Coding Dental Exam

Published on Tue Apr 12, 2005

Question: How should I code a dental exam performed under anesthesia?


Florida Subscriber
Answer: The correct code depends on your carrier. Some want 00170 (Anesthesia for intraoral procedures, including biopsy; not otherwise specified), but others want surgical code 41899 (Unlisted procedure, dentoalveolar structures) instead. A third option is dental code 09920 (Deep sedation [under general anesthesia]) from the American Dental Association.
 
Whether carriers want 09920 instead of CPT codes will depend partly on how current their coding systems are. Most carriers want anesthesia codes for the anesthesiologist's claim, but verify with the carrier which guidelines they follow.
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