CPT 00902: Anesthesia for Procedures on Anus or Rectum
CPT code 00902 represents anesthesia services furnished for procedures on the anus or rectum. This anesthesia code is used to report professional perioperative care when a licensed anesthesia provider delivers anesthetic management specific to anorectal surgical or procedural interventions. Nationally, accurate use of this code supports correct clinical documentation, claims processing, and healthcare utilization tracking for anorectal procedures that require anesthesia.
Key payers addressed include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, United Healthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find an overview of the clinical context for CPT code 00902, comparisons to closely related anesthesia codes for nearby anatomic regions, and the typical settings where the service is provided. The publication also outlines common billing considerations and coding relationships to help financial and clinical teams align documentation with claims submissions.
This summary is intended for a national audience of clinicians, coding professionals, and revenue cycle staff seeking concise guidance on the clinical scope and billing context of CPT code 00902. Data not available in the input for payer-specific reimbursement rates or utilization benchmarks.
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Billing Code Overview
CPT code 00902 describes anesthesia services for procedures involving the anus or rectum. The service type is anesthesia provided in support of diagnostic or therapeutic procedures directed at the anorectal region. The typical site of service is the operating room or procedure suite where anorectal surgeries and interventions are performed.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is a woman in her 50s presenting for operative management of symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse with rectovaginal or vaginal enterocele component. The planned procedure may include posterior colporrhaphy, rectocele repair, enterocele repair, or revision surgery for postprocedural genitourinary complications. The anesthesia team provides neuraxial (spinal or epidural) or general anesthesia depending on patient comorbidities, surgical duration, and surgeon preference. Preoperative assessment documents ASA physical status, airway assessment, anticoagulation status, and consent for anesthesia. Intraoperative workflow includes placement of monitors, IV access, induction (or neuraxial block), positioning in lithotomy, management of analgesia and hemodynamics during dissection and repair of anorectal/vaginal tissues, and postoperative handoff to PACU with pain and complication plan. Typical postoperative considerations include monitoring for urinary retention, bleeding, bowel function, and hemodynamic stability prior to discharge or transfer to inpatient care.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
22 | Increased procedural services | Use when anesthesia care is unusually difficult or time-consuming due to extensive intraoperative complexity beyond typical rectal/anal procedures. |
23 | Unusual anesthesia | Use when a procedure is performed under general anesthesia because local/regional anesthesia is contraindicated or would be inadequate. |
25 | Significant, separately identifiable E/M on the same day | Use if a separate preoperative evaluation or complication-related E/M service is billed on the same day as the anesthesia service when applicable per payer rules. |
50 | Bilateral procedure | Use when anesthesia is provided for bilateral genital/perineal procedures requiring notation of bilateral operative work. |
52 | Reduced services | Use when anesthesia services are partially reduced or limited compared with the full procedure (e.g., aborted surgery after induction). |
53 | Discontinued procedure | Use when anesthesia was initiated but the surgical procedure was terminated before completion for reasons unrelated to the anesthesia. |
54 | Surgical care only | Use when the anesthesiologist provides only intraoperative management and a separate provider manages pre/postoperative anesthesia care. |
55 | Postoperative management only | Use when the anesthesiologist provides only postoperative anesthesia care (e.g., pain pump management) separate from intraoperative care. |
62 | Two surgeons/assistant-at-surgery | Use when two qualified surgeons are required and documentation supports concurrent specialized surgical teams impacting anesthesia complexity. |
78 | Unplanned return to the operating room following initial procedure | Use when anesthesia services are required for a return to the OR for a complication of the original anorectal/genitourinary surgery. |
AA | Anesthesia provided personally by anesthesiologist | Use to indicate the named anesthesiologist personally performed the anesthesia service. |
AD | Medical supervision by a physician; more than four concurrent anesthesia procedures | Use when the physician supervised multiple concurrent anesthesia providers per payer rules. |
AS | Physician assistant or nurse anesthetist medically directed by anesthesiologist (MD/DO) | Use when a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) provided the service under physician medical direction. |
QK | Medical direction of two, three, or four CRNAs | Use when physician performs required elements of medical direction for multiple CRNAs during perineal/rectal anesthesia. |
| Taxonomy Code | Specialty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
207L00000X | Anesthesiology | Primary specialty providing perioperative anesthesia for anorectal and vaginal procedures. |
207LA0401X | Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) | Involved when complex pelvic pain management or regional blocks are required perioperatively. |
207LP2900X | Pediatric Anesthesiology | Applicable when adolescent or pediatric patients undergo anorectal or perineal procedures requiring anesthesia expertise. |
Related Diagnoses
| ICD-10 Code | Description | Clinical Relevance |
|---|---|---|
N81.0 | Urethrocele | May coexist with pelvic organ prolapse and influence surgical approach to anterior/posterior repairs requiring anesthesia. |
N81.2 | Incomplete uterovaginal prolapse | Indicates pelvic support defect; operative repair may involve vaginal and rectal tissues requiring regional or general anesthesia. |
N81.4 | Uterovaginal prolapse, unspecified | General diagnosis for prolapse in patients undergoing reconstructive vaginal or rectal procedures under anesthesia. |
N82.1 | Vaginal enterocele | Enterocele repair often involves posterior vaginal approach near the rectum; anesthesia plan addresses visceral manipulation and postoperative pain. |
N99.89 | Other postprocedural complications and disorders of genitourinary system | Used when anesthesia is provided for secondary procedures or management of postprocedural complications involving the genitourinary tract. |
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description | Relationship to This Procedure |
|---|---|---|
00910 | Anesthesia for transurethral procedures | Related when combined urologic transurethral surgery is performed in the same operative session requiring coordinated anesthesia planning. |
00920 | Anesthesia for procedures on male genitalia | Related insofar as perineal/genital procedures of male patients require similar anesthetic approaches and coding differentiation. |
00930 | Anesthesia for procedures on perineum | Closely related; perineal procedures overlap anatomically and clinically with anorectal/vaginal procedures and may be billed when surgical site encompasses the perineum. |
00932 | Anesthesia for rectal procedures | Directly related; used for anesthesia services specific to rectal operations and may be used interchangeably only when documentation supports rectal-focused procedures. |