Anesthesia Coding Alert

Question: What is the appropriate anesthesia code for a Baer Hearing Study?

Delaware Subscriber

Answer: The correct anesthesia code is 00300 (Anesthesia for all procedures on the integumentary system, muscles and nerves of head, neck, and posterior trunk, not otherwise specified), which is valued at 5 base units.

What it is: The brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) is a test to measure the brain wave activity that occurs in response to clicks or certain tones. Most patients do not require anesthesia during the test, so submit your claim with clear documentation of why anesthesia was necessary. You can also append modifier 22 (which may help explain the Unusual anesthesia service) to 00300 to show that your provider understands that you’re reporting a unique situation.