Anesthesia Coding Guidelines Flashcards
7 cards from real CPC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Anesthesia Coding Guidelines flashcards as text
Which anesthesia base unit value is assigned to most nerve block procedures?
Answer: 5 base units
Most nerve block procedures are assigned 5 base units under the ASA anesthesia relative value guide.
What does the 'P' in the ASA Physical Status Classification P3 indicate?
Answer: Patient has severe systemic disease
ASA P3 indicates a patient with severe systemic disease that is not incapacitating, such as controlled COPD or diabetes.
When billing anesthesia for a bilateral procedure, how are time units typically reported?
Answer: Report time units only once for the total procedure time
Time units are reported once for the total anesthesia time regardless of bilateral nature of the procedure.
Which modifier indicates that an anesthesiologist personally performed the anesthesia without a CRNA?
Answer: AA
Modifier AA indicates anesthesia services performed personally by an anesthesiologist.
A patient undergoing anesthesia for a procedure on the forearm would be classified under which body area in the CPT anesthesia section?
Answer: Lower arm, wrist, and hand
The forearm is part of the lower arm region, coded under CPT codes for lower arm, wrist, and hand procedures (01810–01860).
Which of the following best describes the 'base units' component of anesthesia billing?
Answer: A fixed value assigned to each anesthesia CPT code reflecting complexity
Base units are pre-assigned values in the ASA Relative Value Guide that reflect the complexity of each anesthesia service.
What is the correct action when an anesthesia service is provided for a procedure not listed in the CPT anesthesia section?
Answer: Use the unlisted anesthesia code 01999
When no specific anesthesia code exists, the unlisted anesthesia procedure code 01999 should be reported.