Anesthesia Coding Alert

Question: Our physician provided anesthesia during a skin-sparing right mastectomy. What code should we submit? Answer: CPT includes several codes for anesthesia during reconstructive or radical procedures on the breast, but not one that specifies a skin-sparing mastectomy. Your correct choice is 00400 (Anesthesia for procedures on the integumentary system on the extremities, anterior trunk and perineum; not otherwise specified). Code 00400 is valued at three base units. A skin-sparing mastectomy (also known as breast-conserving surgery) is a way to treat cancer while saving the breast skin. The surgeon removes cancerous breast tissue through a small incision, usually around the areola area of the nipple. The surgeon leaves most of the breast skin, creating a natural skin pocket that is filled with a breast implant or tissue from another part of the patient's body. The skin-sparing technique significantly improves the cosmetic outcome and gives the best option for reconstruction.