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Wiki conscious sedation

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adudms

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How do I code for 5 hours of conscious sedation?
 
Five hours is a lot of time for conscious, or moderate sedation. The codes are specific to the patient's age. Are you sure it was moderate sedation? What procedure was being done?
 
I think there are special rules for this one. Moderate sedation is generally used for an active procedure being done by a physician. If you induced and gave meds for five hours, the doctor is not performing a procedure for five hours. Was there an independent trained observer with the patient continuously for five hours (not just checking on the patient, but face-to-face for 5 hours)?
 
A medical assistant does not qualify as a "trained observer", so you would not be able to bill for moderate sedation once the provider left the room. It is unclear to me if you can bill moderate sedation without a procedure.
 
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