Anesthesia Coding Alert

Question: Our physician provided anesthesia during a transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) procedure with probe placement. What code do I report?New Hampshire Subscriber Answer: It looks like your anesthesiologist is involved with 93312 (Echocardiography, transesophageal, real-time with image documentation [2D] [with or without M-moderecording]; including probe placement, image acquisition, interpretation and report). The anesthesia crosswalk for 93312 and the subsequent TEE codes is 01922 (Anesthesia for non-invasive imaging or radiation therapy).Keep these tips in mind when you code for TEE:When you report intraoperative TEE by an anesthesiologist, you should usually include modifier 59 (Distinct procedural service). This applies to TEE codes 93312-93317, +93320, +93325, and 93799 (Unlisted cardiovascular procedure or service).When your anesthesiologist performs the service in a hospital inpatient/outpatient setting, the technical component is considered a Part A service and is not billable to Part B. Report the service with modifier 26 (Professional component). This applies to codes 93312, 93314, 93315, 93317, 93320, 93325, and 93799.When your anesthesiologist places the probe and does not provide a written [...]