CPC Anesthesia Coding Guidelines 2

Question 1

Which anesthesia base unit value is assigned to most nerve block procedures?

Accepted Answer

5 base units

Answer

Most nerve block procedures are assigned 5 base units under the ASA anesthesia relative value guide.

Question 2

What does the 'P' in the ASA Physical Status Classification P3 indicate?

Accepted Answer

Patient has severe systemic disease

Answer

ASA P3 indicates a patient with severe systemic disease that is not incapacitating, such as controlled COPD or diabetes.

Question 3

When billing anesthesia for a bilateral procedure, how are time units typically reported?

Accepted Answer

Report time units only once for the total procedure time

Answer

Time units are reported once for the total anesthesia time regardless of bilateral nature of the procedure.

Question 4

Which modifier indicates that an anesthesiologist personally performed the anesthesia without a CRNA?

Accepted Answer

AA

Answer

Modifier AA indicates anesthesia services performed personally by an anesthesiologist.

Question 5

A patient undergoing anesthesia for a procedure on the forearm would be classified under which body area in the CPT anesthesia section?

Accepted Answer

Lower arm, wrist, and hand

Answer

The forearm is part of the lower arm region, coded under CPT codes for lower arm, wrist, and hand procedures (01810–01860).

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