Anesthesia Coding Alert

Tip: Surgeon's documentation can also help your coding accuracy. When coding for anesthesia during coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedures, factors such as the patient's age and whether physicians used specialized equipment during surgery can affect your reporting. You'll be on your way to pain-free CABG coding if you remember three do's -- and one don't -- offered by cardiac anesthesia coder Judy A. Wilson, CPC, CPC-H, CPC-P, CPC-I, CANPC, CMBSI, CMRS, business administrator for Anesthesia Specialists, PTR, in Virginia Beach, in the "Cardiovascular and Thoracic Anesthesia Billing" workshop at the AAPC's Nashville regional conference in September. Do Examine the Code Choices CPT® includes three codes for anesthesia during CABG procedures: 00562 -- Anesthesia for procedures on heart, pericardial sac, and great vessels of chest; with pump oxygenator, age 1 year or older, for all non-coronary bypass procedures (e.g., valve procedures) or for re-operation for coronary bypass more than 1 month after original [...]