Anesthesia Coding Alert
Remember This Before Reporting 99360
Question: I am looking for some direction in billing for local anesthesia when patient has existing comorbidities. Is this billable if the patient is being monitored by the anesthesiologist? North Carolina Subscriber Answer: Local anesthesia is considered an inherent component of any procedure, so it is not separately billable. If another physician requested the anesthesiologist’s presence during a procedure, you might be able to bill for anesthesia standby services as long as 1) attendance was over 30 minutes and 2) the anesthesiologist did not provide care to any other patient during this time. If the service meets both those criteria, you can report 99360 (Standby service, requiring prolonged attendance, each 30 minutes (eg, operative standby, standby for frozen section, for cesarean/high risk delivery, for monitoring EEG)) for standby. Be aware, however, that most payers do not reimburse for code 99360. Reporting it for your anesthesiologist’s service is primarily for documentation purposes of the care that was provided.
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