Anesthesia Coding Alert

Question: Our practice is in a fairly small city, and for the first time, I have been given a charge slip for organ harvesting. The patient is a Medicare/Medicaid patient. How do I bill for this?

New York Subscriber

Answer: The payer should cover your anesthesiologist's claim if you report 01990 (Physiological support for harvesting of organ[s] from brain-dead patient).

What's important: You need to find out where to bill the procedure. You generally don't report the service to the deceased's insurance, but rather to an organ donation/procurement program. The hospital should be able to supply that information for you.