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 Anesthesia Guidelines
Services involving administration of anesthesia are
reported by the use of the anesthesia five-digit procedure Time Reporting
code (00100-01999) plus modifier codes (defined under Time for anesthesia procedures may be reported as is
“Anesthesia Modifiers” later in these Guidelines). customary in the local area. Anesthesia time begins when
The reporting of anesthesia services is appropriate by or the anesthesiologist begins to prepare the patient for the
under the responsible supervision of a physician. These induction of anesthesia in the operating room (or in an
services may include but are not limited to general, equivalent area) and ends when the anesthesiologist is no
regional, supplementation of local anesthesia, or other longer in personal attendance, that is, when the patient
supportive services in order to afford the patient the may be safely placed under postoperative supervision.
Anesthesia 00100-01999

anesthesia care deemed optimal by the anesthesiologist

during any procedure. These services include the usual
preoperative and postoperative visits, the anesthesia care
during the procedure, the administration of fluids and/or
Anesthesia Services
blood and the usual monitoring services (eg, ECG, Services rendered in the office, home, or hospital;
temperature, blood pressure, oximetry, capnography, and consultation; and other medical services are listed in the
mass spectrometry). Unusual forms of monitoring (eg, Evaluation and Management Services section (99201-
intra-arterial, central venous, and Swan-Ganz) are not 99499 series) on page 11. “Special Services, Procedures,
included. and Reports” (99000-99082 series) are listed in the
Items used by all physicians in reporting their services are Medicine section.
presented in the Introduction. Some of the
commonalities are repeated in this section for the
convenience of those physicians referring to this section Supplied Materials
on Anesthesia. Other definitions and items unique to
anesthesia are also listed. Supplies and materials provided (eg, sterile trays, drugs)
over and above those usually included with the office visit
To report moderate (conscious) sedation provided by a or other services rendered may be listed separately. Drugs,
physician also performing the service for which conscious tray supplies, and materials provided should be listed and
sedation is being provided, see codes 99151, 99152, identified with 99070 or the appropriate supply code.
99153.
When a second physician other than the health care
professional performing the diagnostic or therapeutic
services provides moderate (conscious) sedation in the
Separate or Multiple
facility setting (eg, hospital, outpatient hospital/ Procedures
ambulatory surgery center, skilled nursing facility), the
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second physician reports the associated moderate sedation When multiple surgical procedures are performed during
procedure/service 99155, 99156, 99157; when these a single anesthetic administration, the anesthesia code
services are performed by the second physician in the representing the most complex procedure is reported. The
nonfacility setting (eg, physician office, freestanding time reported is the combined total for all procedures.
imaging center), codes 99155, 99156, 99157 would not
be reported. Moderate sedation does not include minimal
sedation (anxiolysis), deep sedation, or monitored Unlisted Service or Procedure
anesthesia care (00100-01999).
A service or procedure may be provided that is not listed
To report regional or general anesthesia provided by a
in this edition of the CPT codebook. When reporting
physician also performing the services for which the
such a service, the appropriate “Unlisted Procedure” code
anesthesia is being provided, see modifier 47 in
may be used to indicate the service, identifying it by
Appendix A.
“Special Report” as discussed in the section below. The
“Unlisted Procedures” and accompanying code for
Anesthesia is as follows:
01999 Unlisted anesthesia procedure(s)

60 *=Telemedicine :=Add-on code ~=FDA approval pending #=Resequenced code H=Modifier 51 exempt 333=See p xvii for details
CPT 2020 Anesthesia Guidelines

Special Report Qualifying Circumstances

A service that is rarely provided, unusual, variable, or new More than one qualifying circumstance may be selected.
may require a special report. Pertinent information
Many anesthesia services are provided under particularly
should include an adequate definition or description of
difficult circumstances, depending on factors such as
the nature, extent, and need for the procedure and the
extraordinary condition of patient, notable operative
time, effort, and equipment necessary to provide the
conditions, and/or unusual risk factors. This section
service.
includes a list of important qualifying circumstances that
significantly affect the character of the anesthesia service
provided. These procedures would not be reported alone
Anesthesia Modifiers but would be reported as additional procedure numbers
qualifying an anesthesia procedure or service.
All anesthesia services are reported by use of the
anesthesia five-digit procedure code (00100-01999) plus : 99100 Anesthesia for patient of extreme age, younger than 1

Anesthesia 00100-01999
the addition of a physical status modifier. The use of year and older than 70 (List separately in addition to code
other optional modifiers may be appropriate. for primary anesthesia procedure)
(For procedure performed on infants younger than 1 year
Physical Status Modifiers of age at time of surgery, see 00326, 00561, 00834,
00836)
Physical Status modifiers are represented by the initial
letter ‘P’ followed by a single digit from 1 to 6 as defined : 99116 Anesthesia complicated by utilization of total body
in the following list: hypothermia (List separately in addition to code for
primary anesthesia procedure)
P1: A normal healthy patient
: 99135 Anesthesia complicated by utilization of controlled
P2: A patient with mild systemic disease hypotension (List separately in addition to code for
P3: A patient with severe systemic disease primary anesthesia procedure)
P4: A patient with severe systemic disease that is a : 99140 Anesthesia complicated by emergency conditions
constant threat to life (specify) (List separately in addition to code for primary
anesthesia procedure)
P5: A moribund patient who is not expected to survive
without the operation (An emergency is defined as existing when delay in
treatment of the patient would lead to a significant
P6: A declared brain-dead patient whose organs are being
increase in the threat to life or body part)
removed for donor purposes
These six levels are consistent with the American Society
of Anesthesiologists (ASA) ranking of patient physical
status. Physical status is included in the CPT codebook to
distinguish among various levels of complexity of the
anesthesia service provided.

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Example: 00100-P1

s=Revised code I=New code c b=Contains new or revised text i=Duplicate PLA test ^=Category I PLA American Medical Association 61