Anesthesia Coding Alert

Question: Our anesthesiologist noted he performed a postoperative pain consultation and inserted an epidural following a patient's thoracotomy. He documented the patient's age, medication allergies and epidural placement (T10). Can I bill for a consult or only the epidural?


Idaho Subscriber
Answer: Based on the information you provide, you don't have enough documentation to bill the consult. Instead, verify whether the physician administered a single-shot or continuous epidural.

Report a single-shot epidural with 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).

If the physician placed a continuous catheter, report 62318 (Injection, including catheter placement, continuous infusion or intermittent bolus, 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).