Anesthesia Coding Alert

Answer: Coders use 64605 (destruction by neurolytic agent, trigeminal nerve; second and third division branches at foramen ovale) for diagnostic or therapeutic nerve blocks and injections that a different provider performs. According to the new American Association of Anesthesiologists Crosswalk, released in mid-February, it does crosswalk with 01961 (chemodenervation of muscle(s); muscle(s) innervated by facial nerve [e.g., for blepharospasm, hemifacial spasm]). If your anesthesiologist performs the procedure, bill 64605 as a medical procedure with a base value of 20. If another provider performs the procedure while your anesthesiologist administers anesthesia, bill the most appropriate anesthesia code based on the location of the injection, plus the associated time units.