Physicians Practice Questions & Answers : Defining “under anesthesia”

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Questions & Answers

Defining “under anesthesia” (posted 7/1/08)

Q: Are you able to clarify code 26340? Does “under anesthesia” mean that the patient needs to be under general anesthesia? Or at a facility using anesthesia other than local?

A: According to the AAOS, “January 1999 CPT Assistant noted that the phrase “with or under anesthesia” in a code description meant under general anesthesia. But by 2002, this information was outdated and the terms ‘under anesthesia’ or ‘with anesthesia’ are now understood to reflect the appropriate anesthesia for a given patient and/or given situation.” (Source: AAOS archives) Individual payers, of course, may have their own interpretations.

Additional Resources

View more questions and answers from the July/August 2008 issue

View more questions and answers related to Coding

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