Wiki anesthesia coding for screening colon

[tpontillo]

I dont have any experience when it comes to anesthesia billing but I need some information on those who do bill it. The question is if a patient has a colon for a screening colonoscopy what do you bill for the anesthesia. The doctor and the facility billed the
V76.51 and the anesthesiologist billed 455.0. The op report states pt came in for a screening colonoscopy and the doctor did see hemorrhoids with no complications. Doctor and facility both billed V76.51 as primary and were paid 100%. The anesthesiologist billed the 455.0 and is going towards deductible. I need to know what is the proper way of coding the anesthesiology. Would they have to bill the V76.51 also?

Also for a screening colonoscopy does it warrent having two anesthesiologists? The patients are being billed for an anesthesiologist and a CRNA.

Any help on this would be very much appreciated. I am trying to help a patient but before I call the anesthesiologist I want to know what I am talking about.

 

[NIENAJADLY]

Anesthesia for screening colonoscopy

When we bill for anesthesia for the colonoscopy, we would bill 00810 (the anesthesia cross-code for any of the colonoscopy codes). In our practice, if the provider notes screening colonoscopy and then a finding, we would bill the v76.51 primary, the finding secondary. The problem comes when either the provider doesn't note that it started as a screening or if the provider noted the patient was having symptoms (rectal bleeding, change in bowel habits, etc). When the patient is having the colonoscopy because of a sign/symptom, it becomes diagnostic and we don't apply the v76.51 code.

I hope this helps

Kellie, CPC, CANPC