Find policies, billing codes, payers, states, and providers
CPT 00120: Anesthesia for External, Middle, and Inner Ear Procedures
CPT code 00120 designates anesthesia services for procedures on the external, middle, and inner ear, including biopsy. This code is used when an anesthesia clinician provides perioperative anesthetic management specific to ear surgeries, which can range from minor biopsies to more complex middle- or inner-ear operations. Proper coding of anesthesia services for otologic procedures is important for accurate capture of surgical complexity and resource use at a national level.
Key payers included in this analysis are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, United Healthcare, and Medicare. Readers will gain a clear understanding of the clinical scope and settings associated with CPT code 00120, the typical ICD-10 diagnoses that justify ear procedural anesthesia, and how this code relates to neighboring anesthesia codes for ear and adjacent anatomic regions. The publication summarizes payer coverage considerations, common procedural contexts, and related anesthesia codes to help clinical billing and compliance teams identify where 00120 fits within anesthesia service lines.
The content provides clinical context for the code, highlights common diagnostic scenarios that align with ear procedures requiring anesthesia, and outlines related CPT anesthesia codes for ear, eye, and nasal procedures to aid coding alignment. Data not available in the input is noted where relevant.
Customize your policy alerts
Sign up for cpt 00120 policy alerts
Get alerted when payer policies referencing 00120 are released or updated.
Monitor payer policy activity
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 00120 describes anesthesia services provided for procedures involving the external, middle, and inner ear, including biopsy. The service involves administration and management of anesthesia tailored to surgical procedures on ear structures.
-
Service type: Anesthesia for ear procedures
-
Typical site of service: Operating room or ambulatory surgical center for ear surgeries and procedures
National Reimbursement Benchmarks
National commercial pricing for CPT 00120 centers around BUCA’s average commercial benchmark of $93.50, with observable variation among major payers. Blue Cross Blue Shield shows a relatively tight middle spread (P75–P25 = $37.20), while UnitedHealth Group also presents a narrow interquartile range of $30.90, indicating more consistent contracted rates. Cigna’s IQR is wider at $58.00, and Aetna demonstrates the largest dispersion with an IQR of $164.00, highlighting substantial variability in upper-quartile commercial pricing for this code.
Mean rates vary meaningfully: Aetna’s mean is $182.50, Cigna’s is $96.50, BUCA’s average is $93.50, UnitedHealth Group’s mean is $67.60, and Blue Cross Blue Shield’s mean is $71.60. The combination of a high mean and the widest IQR for Aetna suggests both higher central tendency and greater spread, while Blue Cross Blue Shield and UnitedHealth Group reflect more clustered commercial reimbursement levels around their medians.