Anesthesia Coding Alert

Answer: Codes that may be accepted by your carrier include 37140 (venous anastomosis; portocaval), 36000* (introduction of needle or intracatheter, vein) and 36481 (percutaneous portal vein catheterization by any method). The best way to know when to use which catheter placement code is through the report; the physician should dictate a report indicating which vein was used. Medicare handles this procedure differently in different regions, so check local Medicare policies and those of other carriers.