2025 CPT code 00626
(Active) Effective Date: N/A Revision Date: N/A Anesthesia - Anesthesia for Procedures on the Spine and Spinal Cord Anesthesia Feed
Anesthesia services for procedures on the thoracic spine and cord, via an anterior transthoracic approach, using one-lung ventilation.
Modifiers may apply depending on the specific circumstances of the case and payer requirements.Examples include qualifying circumstance modifiers (99100-99140), anesthesia provider modifiers (AA, AD, QK, QY, GC, QX, QZ), and MAC modifiers (G8, G9, QS).
The medical necessity is established by the need for surgical intervention on the thoracic spine and cord, requiring an anterior transthoracic approach with one-lung ventilation.The anesthesia services are medically necessary to maintain hemodynamic stability, manage pain, and ensure patient safety throughout the procedure.
Pre-operative evaluation, induction and monitoring of anesthesia, medication and monitoring documentation, patient response observation, procedure timing, and post-operative transfer oversight.
In simple words: This code covers the doctor's work giving and monitoring anesthesia for a complex spine surgery near the chest. This specific surgery needs a special breathing method using only one lung. The doctor checks the patient before, during, and after the surgery.
This CPT code encompasses anesthesia services rendered during procedures on the thoracic spine and spinal cord accessed via an anterior transthoracic approach, requiring one-lung ventilation.The anesthesia provider's responsibilities include pre-operative evaluation, induction and monitoring of anesthesia during the procedure, documentation of medications, monitoring methods, patient responses, and procedure start/stop times. Post-operative oversight of patient transfer to post-anesthesia care is also included.Standard monitoring (ECG, temperature, blood pressure, oximetry, capnography, mass spectrometry) is incorporated; however, unusual monitoring (Swan-Ganz catheters, intra-arterial lines, central venous lines) is separately billable with adequate documentation.
Example 1: A 55-year-old male patient presents with a large tumor compressing the spinal cord at the T6 vertebral level. An anterior transthoracic approach is planned to excise the tumor.One-lung ventilation is necessary due to the surgical site. Code 00626 is used to bill for the anesthesia services provided., A 70-year-old female patient undergoes corrective surgery for severe scoliosis. The surgery requires an anterior transthoracic approach, and one-lung ventilation is necessary to facilitate the surgical procedure.Code 00626 is used to bill for the anesthesia services., A 30-year-old patient is involved in a motor vehicle accident resulting in a T4 vertebral fracture with spinal cord compression.An emergency anterior transthoracic approach is used, and one-lung ventilation is employed. Code 00626 is billed for the anesthesia services.
Complete anesthesia record including pre-operative evaluation, medications administered, monitoring parameters (ECG, blood pressure, SpO2, capnography, mass spectrometry), patient response to anesthesia, start and stop times, and post-operative transfer summary.
** The use of one-lung ventilation significantly increases the complexity of the anesthesia management.Thorough documentation is critical to support billing for this code.
- Revenue Code: P0 (ANESTHESIA)
- Payment Status: Active
- Specialties:Anesthesiology, Neurosurgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery
- Place of Service:Inpatient Hospital, Ambulatory Surgical Center