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CPT 00222: Anesthesia for Intracranial Procedure with Electrocoagulation
CPT code 00222 covers anesthesia services provided during intracranial procedures, specifically including electrocoagulation of an intracranial nerve to control bleeding. This code is used nationally to classify anesthesia for complex neurosurgical interventions where precise intraoperative management is critical to patient outcomes and perioperative resource planning. Key payers in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a clinical and billing overview of the procedure context, common modifiers and related procedural codes, typical site-of-service settings, and a summary of payer coverage considerations. The publication highlights how 00222 fits within anesthesia coding for extensive cranial and spinal procedures and links to related operative and anesthesia codes to support correct coding and claim submission. Policy, reimbursement benchmarks, and coding guidance are summarized to aid revenue cycle and clinical teams in ensuring appropriate use of the code within national payer contexts. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable.
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Billing Code Overview
CPT code 00222 describes anesthesia services for an intracranial procedure, including electrocoagulation of an intracranial nerve (use of electrocautery or electrical current to stop bleeding). The service type is anesthesia for intracranial neurosurgical procedures, and the typical site of service is an inpatient or outpatient operating room in a hospital or ambulatory surgical center where neurosurgical interventions are performed.
National Reimbursement Benchmarks
BUCA’s average commercial rate sits at $72.30, providing a central reference for national commercial reimbursement on CPT 00222. Among named carriers, Cigna posts the highest mean at $95.30 while Aetna and UnitedHealth Group have lower means at $62.20 and $67.50 respectively; Blue Cross Blue Shield’s mean is $69.50. Median and percentile placement indicate that Cigna’s distribution skews higher, whereas Aetna and UnitedHealth Group concentrate more toward the lower half of national levels.
Dispersion (P75 minus P25) highlights variability across payers: Cigna shows the widest interquartile spread at $56.40 ($123.20 - $68.00), signaling greater rate variability, while UnitedHealth Group and Aetna are tighter at $29.00 ($81.00 - $52.00) and $37.00 ($81.00 - $42.00) respectively. Blue Cross Blue Shield’s spread is $40.10 ($90.60 - $49.50) and BUCA’s interquartile spread is $37.00 ($92.80 - $51.80), placing them in the mid-range of dispersion.