Anesthesia Coding Alert

Heads up: Watch for other names that could mean trigeminal.If your physician administers trigeminal nerve blocks to patients for headache relief, brush up on the ins and outs of anatomy and potential diagnoses before coding. Paying attention to two simple tips can help keep your coding for these procedures pain free. Learn the LocationThe trigeminal nerve provides sensory innervations to most of the face; providers might also refer to the trigeminal nerve as the "cranial nerve V" or the "fifth cranial nerve." The name "trigeminal" stems from the fact that the cranial nerve has three major divisions, or branches:The ophthalmic nerve (V1 division) primarily innervates the forehead and eye area The maxillary nerve (V2 division) provides innervation to the upper jaw area from below the eye to the upper lip The mandibular nerve (V3 division) provides both sensory and motor innervation to the lower jaw area. Providers can administer trigeminal [...]