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Anesthesia Coding Alert

Reader Question:

Beware of Reporting 64421 Multiple Times

Published on Fri Dec 14, 2012

Question: Our pain management specialist administered intercostal blocks at T8, T9, T10, and T11. How should we report the procedure? North Dakota Subscriber Answer: Start by taking a close look at the descriptor for 64421 (Injection, anesthetic agent; intercostal nerves, multiple, regional block). It notes "multiple, regional block." The code is based on injections of 2 or more intercostal nerves and would be reported with a maximum of 1 unit of service. Therefore, you should only report 64421 one time.
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