Neurosurgery Coding Alert

Question: The provider administered a brachial plexus block. He wants to bill this with 8 units, but CPT^® says to report 64415 once per nerve plexus regardless of the number of injections performed along the nerve plexus. I’ve found conflicting advice when looking for help. What is the correct number on units that should be billed with 64415?

Nevada Subscriber

Answer: You are correct in reporting 64415 (Injection(s), anesthetic agent(s) and/or steroid; brachial plexus) for a brachial plexus block. You also are correct in how to calculate the number of injections to report. According to CPT^® guidelines, “These codes are reported once per nerve plexus, nerve, or branch as described in the descriptor regardless of the number of injections performed along the nerve plexus, nerve, or branch described by the code.” Check the provider’s documentation to verify how many injections were made to each nerve or branch — not how many were administered in total — then code accordingly.