Anesthesia Coding Alert
Learn What To Do for Anesthesia Switch Ups
Question: I have a case that began as monitored anesthesia care (MAC) for the first 84 minutes and then was converted to general anesthesia for the rest of the case, which was an additional 94 minutes. Do I report this as a MAC or general anesthesia? Ohio Subscriber Answer: Once the MAC converts to general anesthesia, you can report the type of anesthesia as general. This affects the anesthesia service in a few ways. If the payer requires that you report a MAC modifier when billing MAC cases, the MAC modifier is no longer necessary because the type of anesthesia changed. However, if your anesthesia group follows a medical direction model, the anesthesiologist must document their presence when the case is converted from MAC to general, as they are required to be present at induction. Payment should not be affected, regardless of the type of anesthesia.
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