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    v1.0.31
    OpenPayerBilling CodesAnesthesia for Procedures on the HeadCPT cpt-00190-anesthesia-for-facial-bones-or-skull-procedures
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    CPT 00190: Anesthesia for Facial Bones or Skull Procedures

    Commercial payers pay $90 on average nationally for this procedure.

    CPT code 00190 describes anesthesia services for procedures on the facial bones or skull, typically provided as general or regional anesthesia in an operating room or procedural suite for craniofacial, maxillofacial, or skull-based surgical interventions; this code documents the anesthesia component of care for these head and facial bone surgeries and is used on anesthesia claims to indicate the nature and site of the procedure.

    For related coverage guidance, see recent payer policy updates: Surgical Site of Care - Hospital Outpatient, Dental Anesthesia Services, Dental Anesthesia Services.

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    National Reimbursement Benchmarks

    Commercial reimbursement for CPT 00190 centers around BUCA’s average commercial rate of $90.4, with individual payers showing distinct positions. Blue Cross Blue Shield has a relatively low spread between its 25th and 75th percentiles ($91.0 - $51.5 = $39.5), indicating moderate concentration; UnitedHealth Group is slightly tighter with a spread of $81.1 - $52.0 = $29.1. Cigna presents a wider middle spread of $125.0 - $68.4 = $56.6, while Aetna shows the largest dispersion at $221.2 - $69.8 = $151.4, reflecting substantial variability at the upper middle distribution.

    Median and mean differences highlight payer positioning versus the BUCA average: Blue Cross Blue Shield and UnitedHealth Group medians (both near $64) sit below BUCA’s $90.4 mean, while Cigna’s median of $86 and Aetna’s median of $135.2 lie at and above it, respectively. Payer-specific maximums further separate Aetna and Cigna at the high end, whereas Blue Cross Blue Shield and UnitedHealth Group remain concentrated at lower maximums.

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    National Payer Mean Reimbursement Rates

    State Reimbursement Rates

    State: Alaska1 / 51

    Rate by payer

    Clinical & Coding Specifications

    Clinical Context

    A 48-year-old male with chronic otologic disease presents for surgical exploration and repair of facial bone involvement after severe chronic mucoid otitis media with recurrent infections and conductive complications. Preoperative evaluation by the anesthesiology team documents sensorineural hearing loss bilaterally (H90.3), intermittent vertigo (H81.3), and prior noise-related inner ear injury (H83.3). The surgical plan includes operative access to the facial bones and skull base for drainage, debridement, and repair under general anesthesia. The anesthesia team coordinates perioperative monitoring, airway management, intraoperative fluid and blood pressure control, and postoperative emergence in the PACU. Typical workflow: preoperative assessment and consent; anesthesia induction in the OR suite; intraoperative anesthetic management during the facial bones/skull procedure; immediate postoperative handoff to post-anesthesia care unit nursing and otolaryngology for postoperative orders and pain control. Typical site of service is the hospital operating room; ambulatory surgical centers with appropriate craniofacial capabilities may also be used when indicated. Service type: operative anesthesia for procedures on the facial bones or skull as defined by 00190.

    Related CPT Codes

    CPT CodeDescriptionRelationship to This Procedure

    Related Modifiers

    5 rows

    ModifierDescriptionWhen to Use
    62Modifier 62 indicates that two surgeons function as co‑surgeons, each performing distinct parts of the same primary surgical procedure. It is appended to the primary procedure code (and any…- Use modifier -62 when two surgeons act as co‑surgeons (both primary surgeons) on a single definitive primary procedure, each performing distinct parts of the same surgical procedure (append -62 to…
    78CPT modifier -78 indicates an unplanned, related return to the operating or procedure room by the same provider during the global postoperative period. It is appended when treatment for a…- Use modifier -78 when an unplanned, related complication during the original procedure’s global postoperative period requires the patient to return to a formal operating or procedure room and the…
    52Modifier ‑52 (Reduced Services) indicates that a service or procedure was partially reduced or omitted at the provider’s discretion, allowing reporting of the basic procedure number with a qualifier…- Use modifier -52 when a physician or qualified health professional electively reduces or omits part of a procedure or service (for example, performing fewer required views or omitting a portion of…
    53Modifier 53 (Discontinued Procedure) signals that a surgical or diagnostic service was begun by the physician but terminated because of extenuating circumstances that threatened the patient’s…- Use modifier -53 when a physician/qualified healthcare professional has started a surgical or diagnostic procedure (e.g., anesthesia administered, incision or scope insertion) and then discontinues…
    22Modifier –22 (Increased Procedural Services) is used when a reported procedure is substantially more extensive than normally required. The CPT Manual and CMS state it may be appended only when the…- When to use: Append modifier -22 to a procedural CPT code when the service performed is substantially more extensive than the usual service described by that code — i.e., the procedure required…

    Related Provider Taxonomies

    8 rows

    Taxonomy Code
    207L00000X
    207N00000X
    207Y00000X
    305R00000X
    3418M1130X
    133V00000X
    246ZG1000X
    246W00000X

    Related Payer Policy Updates

    Specialty: Anesthesiology1 / 3

    10 rows

    PolicyPayerEffective Date
    Surgical Site of Care - Hospital Outpatientregence2026-11-01
    Dental Anesthesia ServicesProvidence Health Plan2026-10-01
    Dental Anesthesia ServicesProvidence Health Plan2026-10-01
    Anesthesia Services for Interventional Pain Management Procedures in an AdultCigna2026-09-15
    General Anesthesia and Conscious Sedation ServicesUnitedHealthcare2026-09-01
    Intravenous Anesthetics for the Treatment of Chronic Pain and Psychiatric or Substance Use DisordersPremera Bluecross2026-07-01
    Intravenous Anesthetics for the Treatment of Chronic Pain and Psychiatric or Substance Use DisordersPremera Bluecross2026-07-01
    Intravenous Anesthetics for the Treatment of Chronic Pain and Psychiatric or Substance Use DisordersPremera Bluecross2026-07-01
    Intravenous Anesthetics for the Treatment of Chronic Pain and Psychiatric or Substance Use DisordersPremera Bluecross2026-07-01
    Elective Inpatient Services (for Idaho Only)UnitedHealthcare2026-06-01

    Related Codes

    CPT-00100-ANESTHESIA-FOR-SALIVARY-GLAND-PROCEDURES

    CPT 00100: Anesthesia for Salivary Gland Procedures

    CPT-00102-ANESTHESIA-CLEFT-LIP-REPAIR

    CPT 00102: Anesthesia for Plastic Repair of Cleft Lip

    CPT-00103-ANESTHESIA-RECONSTRUCTIVE-EYELID-SURGERY

    CPT 00103: Anesthesia for Reconstructive Eyelid Procedures

    CPT-00104-ANESTHESIA-FOR-ELECTROCONVULSIVE-THERAPY

    CPT 00104: Anesthesia for Electroconvulsive Therapy

    CPT-00120-ANESTHESIA-FOR-EAR-PROCEDURES

    CPT 00120: Anesthesia for External, Middle, and Inner Ear Procedures

    CPT-00124-ANESTHESIA-EXTERNAL-MIDDLE-INNER-EAR-BIOPSY-OTOSCOPY

    CPT 00124: Anesthesia for External, Middle, and Inner Ear Procedures

    CPT-00126-ANESTHESIA-FOR-OTOLOGIC-PROCEDURES-TYMPANOTOMY-BIOPSY

    CPT 00126: Anesthesia for External, Middle, and Inner Ear Procedures

    CPT-00140-ANESTHESIA-FOR-EYE-PROCEDURE-OPHTHALMIC-SURGERY

    CPT 00140: Anesthesia for Eye Procedure

    CPT-00142-ANESTHESIA-FOR-EYE-LENS-PROCEDURE

    CPT 00142: Anesthesia for Eye Lens Procedure

    CPT-00144-ANESTHESIA-CORNEAL-TRANSPLANT

    CPT 00144: Anesthesia for Corneal Transplant

    Showing 1–10 of 30

    Frequently Asked Questions

    References

    1. 1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
    2. 2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
    3. 3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.
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    Trek Health ingests and normalizes Transparency in Coverage data and payer policy updates to give provider organizations a clear view of how commercial reimbursement behaves across markets, payers, and services. Our platform transforms raw payer disclosures into structured intelligence that supports contract evaluation, payer negotiations, and service line strategy. By combining market benchmarks with ongoing policy visibility, Trek helps teams identify variability, risk, and opportunity in commercial reimbursement. The result is faster insight, stronger negotiating positions, and more informed financial decisions.

    00176
    Anesthesia for intraoral procedures, including biopsy; radical surgery
    May be used for anesthesia services when the operative field involves intraoral access or radical oral procedures rather than external facial bones approaches; considered when procedure scope aligns with intraoral classification.
    00192Anesthesia for procedures on the head; radical surgery procedures on the facial bones or skullClosely related as an alternative or adjacent anesthesia code for more extensive radical head/face/skull procedures; chosen based on the specific operative site and surgical complexity relative to 00190.