CPT 00522: Anesthesia for Pleural Needle Biopsy
Commercial payers pay $74 on average nationally for this procedure.
CPT code 00522 describes anesthesia services provided for a closed-chest pleural needle biopsy, a procedure to obtain tissue from the pleura; the service type is anesthesia for a needle biopsy of the pleura and the typical site of service is an interventional radiology suite or inpatient/outpatient procedural area where chest needle biopsies are performed.
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
For CPT 00522, the BUCA national commercial average sits at $74.30, offering a middle-ground benchmark compared with individual commercial payers. Cigna’s mean of $91.20 and Blue Cross Blue Shield’s mean of $75.30 both sit above BUCA’s average, while Aetna ($60.60) and UnitedHealth Group ($67.90) fall below it. Maximums and minimums vary by payer, with Cigna and Blue Cross Blue Shield showing higher ceiling values versus UnitedHealth Group and Aetna.
Dispersion measured by the interquartile range (P75–P25) is tightest for UnitedHealth Group at $29.10 and widest for Blue Cross Blue Shield at $40.60; Cigna has a range of $40.60, BUCA’s IQR is $36.90, and Aetna’s is $44.70. These differences indicate greater variability in commercial contractual rates for some insurers versus others around the BUCA commercial average.