Anesthesia Coding Alert
Post-op Pain Control
Jan Wirtz, Specialty Billing Services, Wacona, Minn.
Answer: If you have the documentation to show that the epidural catheter was placed at a different time of day than the initial anesthesia, you can bill the procedure with the -59 modifier. Otherwise, you are correct in coding only 62319 for the initial placement and 01996 for follow-up days. There is no charge for removing the catheter.
Note: The code formerly used in this situation was 62279, which was deleted from CPT 2000. Coders should now use 62319 instead.
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