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Anesthesia Coding Alert

Reader Question:

Bulbar Block, Anesthesia Not Same

Published on Thu Jun 02, 2011

Question: We have a new anesthesiology client who works in an eye center. He says that he does all blocks and no general anesthesia for the eye surgeries. Should I use a code fromrange 00140-00148 or a code such as 64400?Washington SubscriberAnswer: Assuming your anesthesiologist is acting as the anesthetist for the eye surgery and is not the provider performing the actual eye surgery, and that his primary anesthesia technique for all eye procedures is a bulbar block instead of general anesthesia to anesthetize his patients, then the prime anesthesia technique is a block.If your anesthesiologist only does the block and nothing else, he is providing a surgical service: either 64400 (Injection, anesthetic agent; trigeminal nerve, any division or branch) or 67500 (Retrobulbar injection; medication [separate procedure, does not include supply of medication]).If he does the block and anesthesia, he can bill the time for the block and all the [...]
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