READER QUESTIONS:
Okay to Bill for PICC
Published on Fri Mar 20, 2009
Question: When our anesthesiologist places a peripherally inserted central venous catheter (PICC), may I bill for it, or is it an included anesthesia service? Florida Subscriber Answer: When your anesthesiologist places a PICC, it is separately billable. If catheter placement allows access to the central venous circulation system, charges for insertion of these invasive monitors are not a part of standard anesthesia fees, according to the 2009 Relative Value Guide (RVG) base value section. This is true even though monitoring is included in the base value. To make sure that your physician placed the PICC rather than provided anesthesia (00532, Anesthesia for access to central venous circulation) while the surgeon placed the PICC, look for two things: See if the anesthesia record is for another type of surgery, not PICC; and check the procedure notes comments section for an indication on the anesthesia record that the anesthesiologist placed the PICC. [...]
