Considered as difficult and mysterious, anesthesiology is the study and practice of carrying out sedation or anesthesia to a living creature in order to block or abate the pain. Anesthesia coding is a unique specialty in the world of medical coding which requires a special skill-set and expertise in both the CPT coding paradigm and the ASA coding system.

The need for expertise in anesthesia coding : Anesthesia coding is complex and the regulations change frequently, making accuracy and compliance a daily challenge. So, the submission of claims should be accurate the first time as the legal and financial risks of upcoding or undervaluation of errors are enormous. Therefore, one should be aware of the latest changes, updates and trends in anesthesia coding. There are many ways for a coder to stay updated; one of them is by attending anesthesia coding conferences.

Below are a few of the recent year changes in CPT in anesthesia coding:

? 00211 Anesthesia for intracranial procedures; craniotomy or craniectomy for evacuation of hematoma

• This new code is more precise in reporting of anesthesia for patients with emergent conditions brought about by head trauma and hematoma.
• These patients have worsening neurological symptoms as well as systemic complications associated with head trauma.
• Previously, anesthesia for evacuation of intracranial hematoma was reported with CPT codes 00210 or 00212.

? 00567 Anesthesia for direct coronary artery bypass grafting; with pump oxygenator

• Code 00567 reports anesthesia for a coronary bypass procedure.
• Anesthesia codes previously were not differentiated between procedures requiring a pump oxygenator and those not requiring a pump oxygenator.

These were just a glimpse of the latest changes in anesthesia coding; for a coder, anesthesiology coding throws open many a tough challenge. But you can overcome these challenges and update yourself on the latest 2010 anesthesia coding changes by attending anesthesia coding conferences or by buying yourself MP3s or CDs.