Summary & Overview
CPT 00472: Anesthesia for Partial Rib Resection with Thoracoplasty
CPT code 00472 denotes anesthesia services for partial rib resection with thoracoplasty, a specialized thoracic surgical procedure in which one or more ribs are partially removed and the chest wall may be repaired. This code captures the anesthetic component of complex chest wall surgery and is relevant for hospital, ambulatory surgery center, and inpatient surgical billing. Nationally, accurate use of this CPT code matters for appropriate claims processing, resource allocation for anesthesia services, and consistent clinical documentation for thoracic procedures.
Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, United Healthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find an overview of the clinical context for anesthesia during partial rib resection, common billing considerations, and links to related anesthesia codes for thoracic procedures. The publication highlights typical sites of service, the service type captured by the code, and how 00472 relates to other thoracic anesthesia codes. Benchmarks, policy updates, and payer-specific adjudication notes are summarized to help coding professionals and billing analysts align documentation and claim submission practices with national expectations.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 00472 describes anesthesia services provided for a patient undergoing partial rib resection including thoracoplasty, in which another provider partially removes one or more ribs. The procedure may include reparative work on the thorax as part of the surgical intervention.
Service type: Intraoperative anesthesia for thoracic surgery involving partial rib resection / thoracoplasty.
Typical site of service: Operating room or other inpatient/outpatient surgical suite equipped for thoracic procedures and general anesthesia.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 62-year-old male with chronic pain and a localized chest wall deformity due to prior trauma is scheduled for a partial rib resection including thoracoplasty to remove diseased bone and reshape the thorax. Preoperative evaluation by the anesthesiology team documents comorbid hypertension and a history of tobacco use. The patient arrives on the day of surgery to an ambulatory surgical center affiliated with a hospital; the procedure is performed in an operating room under general endotracheal anesthesia with single-lung ventilation and intraoperative arterial monitoring. The anesthesiologist documents induction, maintenance, regional analgesia (eg, thoracic epidural or paravertebral block) for postoperative pain control, intraoperative hemodynamic management, and emergence. Postanesthesia care occurs in the PACU with handoff to the surgical team and discharge to inpatient surgical ward for monitoring when indicated.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
22 | Increased procedural services | Use when anesthesia complexity or intensity is substantially greater than usual for partial rib resection and supported by documentation of unusual circumstances. |
23 | Unusual anesthesia |