Wiki Anesthesia Start Time

[erina586]

We bill our anesthesia start time when the doctor administers the anesthesia into the patient's IV. However before the procedure the doctor does speak with the patient. In addition he does attach monitoring leads, nasal cannula and blood pressure cuff. Can we bill the start time to include when the doctor is preparing the patient in the room before the procedure?
Thanks

 

[jijikaren]

Based on the anesthesia guidelines, the start time begins when the anesthesiologist begins to prepare the patient for the induction of anesthesia in the operating room or in an equivalent area. So I would say yes.