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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.
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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.
National Reimbursement Benchmarks
Commercial rates for CPT 00472 cluster around BUCA’s average commercial benchmark of $68.4, with notable divergence among major carriers. Blue Cross Blue Shield’s interquartile spread (P75–P25) is $39.3, while Aetna’s spread is $32.0; UnitedHealth Group shows a spread of $28.8, and Cigna’s spread is the widest at $52.2. These spreads reflect how concentrated each payer’s commercial pricing is around their medians and 75th percentiles.
In absolute terms, Cigna maintains the highest mean at $93.1 against BUCA’s $68.4 average, and UnitedHealth Group and Aetna are closer to BUCA’s level. Blue Cross Blue Shield’s and Aetna’s narrower spreads suggest relatively tighter commercial rate bands compared with Cigna’s broader dispersion, which indicates greater variability in commercially negotiated rates for this code.