Eli's Rehab Report

Published on Mon May 08, 2006 PDF

Question: What is the correct code for a diagnostic nerve block of the brachial plexus when the physiatrist administered the block through catheter infusion?


South Dakota Subscriber

Answer: The proper code for this procedure is 64416 (Injection, anesthetic agent; brachial plexus, continuous infusion by catheter [including catheter placement] including daily management for anesthetic agent administration).

Your physiatrist may perform nerve blocks for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes, but the reason for the block will not affect your coding. However, you'll need to pay attention to how the physician administers the block to arrive at the correct code.

Easy access: CPT lists each of the continuous infusion nerve block codes within the anesthetic agent injection category, immediately following the code that describes a single injection of the same nerve. Example: Code 64416 is directly under the nerve injection code for brachial plexus, single (64415).

Once you've found the proper code, be sure to keep reading through the descriptor. This tells you that you must include catheter placement and daily management for administering the anesthetic in the nerve block code.