CPT® 2013: Note These Updates To Your Anesthesia Codes
Here’s a quick look at the CPT® 2013 changes for anesthesia codes:
Changes to 01991 and +01992
CPT® offers you only two anesthesia codes, 01991 and +01992, to help you describe how the patient is positioned during treatment. Until now, these codes described anesthesia for an injection when administered by "a different provider" than the injection itself. The descriptors have been revised to apply to "a different physician or other qualified health care professional." The new descriptors say:
The descriptor for CPT code 62370 has been revised to now include other qualified health care professionals instead of only physicians. The revised descriptor is:
The descriptor for code 64612 has been revised to:
Chemodenervation of muscle[s]; muscle[s] innervated by facial nerve, unilateral [e.g., for blepharospasm, hemifacial spasm].
The revision clears the disagreement between Medicare’s view that 64612 can be reported as bilateral, and the AMA’s view that it can be reported only once for all injections.
When your physician administers chemodenervation to muscles innervated by the facial nerve on both sides of the patient’s face, you can report two units of 64612. For Medicare claims, you should specify the situation by appending modifier 50 (Bilateral procedure) to 64612. For non-Medicare payers, you should append modifiers LT (Left side) and RT (Right side) to the code 64612.
Changes to the code 64614
The descriptor for code 64614 has also been revised as follows:
Chemodenervation of muscle(s); extremity and/or trunk muscle(s) (e.g., for dystonia, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis).
The code 64614 will now specifically represent chemodenervation to a single extremity.
New code 64615
64615 (… muscle[s] innervated by facial, trigeminal, cervical spine, and accessory nerves, bilateral [e.g., for chronic migraine]) has been introduced. You can report this code only once per session, and cannot report it in conjunction with 64612, 64613, or 64614.
Here’s a quick look at the CPT® 2013 changes for anesthesia codes:
Changes to 01991 and +01992
CPT® offers you only two anesthesia codes, 01991 and +01992, to help you describe how the patient is positioned during treatment. Until now, these codes described anesthesia for an injection when administered by "a different provider" than the injection itself. The descriptors have been revised to apply to "a different physician or other qualified health care professional." The new descriptors say:
- 01991 — Anesthesia for diagnostic or therapeutic nerve blocks and injections (when block or injection is performed by a different physician or other qualified health care professional); other than the prone position
- +01992 — … prone position.
The descriptor for CPT code 62370 has been revised to now include other qualified health care professionals instead of only physicians. The revised descriptor is:
- 62370 — Electronic analysis of programmable, implanted pump for intrathecal or epidural drug infusion (includes evaluation of reservoir status, alarm status, drug prescription status); with reprogramming and refill (requiring skill of a physician or other qualified health care professional)
The descriptor for code 64612 has been revised to:
Chemodenervation of muscle[s]; muscle[s] innervated by facial nerve, unilateral [e.g., for blepharospasm, hemifacial spasm].
The revision clears the disagreement between Medicare’s view that 64612 can be reported as bilateral, and the AMA’s view that it can be reported only once for all injections.
When your physician administers chemodenervation to muscles innervated by the facial nerve on both sides of the patient’s face, you can report two units of 64612. For Medicare claims, you should specify the situation by appending modifier 50 (Bilateral procedure) to 64612. For non-Medicare payers, you should append modifiers LT (Left side) and RT (Right side) to the code 64612.
Changes to the code 64614
The descriptor for code 64614 has also been revised as follows:
Chemodenervation of muscle(s); extremity and/or trunk muscle(s) (e.g., for dystonia, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis).
The code 64614 will now specifically represent chemodenervation to a single extremity.
New code 64615
64615 (… muscle[s] innervated by facial, trigeminal, cervical spine, and accessory nerves, bilateral [e.g., for chronic migraine]) has been introduced. You can report this code only once per session, and cannot report it in conjunction with 64612, 64613, or 64614.
