Anesthesia Coding Alert

Question: When you bill for an epidural or a paraspinal single injection, do you bill only for the procedure, or do you bill for both the procedure and supplies?

Anonymous Michigan Subscriber

Answer: You should bill only for the procedure. The hospital or facility will bill the patient for drugs and supplies, so your bill should only be for the services rendered by your anesthesia personnel. You would code 62310 (injection, single [not via indwelling catheter], not including neurolytic substances, with or without contrast [for either localization or epidurography], of diagnostic or therapeutic substance[s] [including anesthetic, antispasmodic, opioid, steroid, other solution], epidural or subarachnoid; cervical or thoracic) or 62311 (lumbar, sacral, [caudal]) depending on the location of the injection.