Anesthesia Coding Alert

Never-before-seen acupuncture codes take the stage Practices got hit hard with an onslaught of new ICD-9 codes for 2005 - and we've got the scoop on whether your office will get a break with CPT 2005 or if your front lines will be scrambling to incorporate the new codes. Report Acupuncture in More Detail Next Year "More practitioners are performing acupuncture, and more carriers are covering it than before," says Trish Bukauskas-Vollmer, CPC, owner of TB Consulting in Myrtle Beach, S.C. CPT 2005's effort to catch up with the increase in acupuncture services is one of the changes pain management coders should note.

Physicians might perform acupuncture as often as weekly or once every two weeks, says Bukauskas-Vollmer. Four new codes describe the procedure in more detail so you can report visits accurately:
 
97810 - Acupuncture, one or more needles, without electrical stimulation; initial 15 minutes of personal one-on-one contact with the patient

97811 - ... each additional 15 minutes of personal one-on-one contact with the patient, with reinsertion of needle(s) (list separately in addition to code for primary procedure)

97813 - Acupuncture, one or more needles, with electrical stimulation; initial 15 minutes of personal one-on-one contact with the patient

97814 - ... each additional 15 minutes of personal one-on-one contact with the patient, with reinsertion of needle(s) (list separately in addition to code for primary procedure). Caution: Even with the advent of these new CPT codes, Bukauskas-Vollmer cautions offices. "I still recommend getting payment up front," she says. Check Updates to Anesthesia Codes If your physicians also provide anesthesia for procedures (instead of only focusing on pain management), learning CPT's updated anesthesia codes will be simple. You only have one new code to master: 00561 (Anesthesia for procedures on heart, pericardial sac, and great vessels of chest; with pump oxygenator, under one year of age).

Be aware that 00561 ties in with several existing codes by expanding your options for anesthesia during heart procedures. Other codes in this group include:

00560 - Anesthesia for procedures on heart, pericardial sac, and great vessels of chest; without pump oxygenator

00562 - ... with pump oxygenator

00563 - ... with pump oxygenator with hypothermic circulatory arrest. New code 00561 recognizes that providing anesthesia for an infant is very different from cases involving adults.

Reminder: As with any coding update, check your manual for complete descriptors and information on other codes that might apply to your practice.