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: Intravenous Anesthetics for the Treatment of Chronic Pain and Psychiatric or Substance Use Disorders, Intravenous Anesthetics for the Treatment of Chronic Pain and Psychiatric or Substance Use Disorders, Intravenous Anesthetics for the Treatment of Chronic Pain and Psychiatric or Substance Use Disorders.
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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.