Anesthesia Coding Alert

Question: How should we code for placement of a cesium device for a patient with cervical cancer? Some of our carriers require surgical CPT codes, and some want anesthesia codes. North Dakota Subscriber Answer: You should report this procedure with 58346 (Insertion of Heyman capsules for clinical brachytherapy). If the carrier wants anesthesia codes, you should use 00952 (Anesthesia for vaginal procedures [including biopsy of labia, vagina, cervix or endometrium]; hysteroscopy and/or hysterosalpingography), which has a base value of 4.

Some carriers prefer 57155 (Insertion of uterine tandems and/or vaginal ovoids for clinical brachytherapy), which crosses to anesthesia code 00940 (Anesthesia for vaginal procedures [including biopsy of labia, vagina, cervix or endometrium]; not otherwise specified). Ask the specific carrier whether it wants surgical or anesthesia codes and which surgical code it prefers.