Summary & Overview
CPT 00944: Anesthesia for Vaginal Hysterectomy
CPT code 00944 denotes anesthesia services provided for removal of the uterus through the vaginal approach (vaginal hysterectomy). Nationally, this code identifies anesthesia care tied to a common gynecologic surgical procedure and is relevant for anesthesiology billing, surgical case mix reporting, and payer reimbursement policies. Clear coding of 00944 affects procedure-level reporting, resource allocation in perioperative care, and alignment with payer rules for anesthesia billing.
Key payers discussed in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of clinical context for anesthesia in vaginal hysterectomy, typical sites of service, common billing modifiers used with anesthesia claims (listed elsewhere in the publication), and related procedural codes for cross-reference. The publication also summarizes benchmarking considerations, coding relationships to other abdominal and genital anesthesia codes, and common clinical scenarios that influence anesthesia complexity. Policy-relevant points cover payer coverage patterns and areas where coding precision affects claim adjudication.
This national summary is intended for anesthesiologists, coding professionals, hospital billing staff, and policy analysts seeking a focused reference on reporting anesthesia for vaginal hysterectomy procedures using 00944. It does not provide clinical recommendations or patient-specific guidance.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 00944 describes anesthesia services for removal of the uterus via the vaginal approach. The service type is anesthesia for a gynecologic surgical procedure. The typical site of service is an operating room or ambulatory surgical center where vaginal hysterectomy procedures are performed.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is a reproductive‑age individual presenting for surgical removal of the uterus via the vaginal route (vaginal hysterectomy) with planned anesthetic care. The patient arrives to a hospital operating room or ambulatory surgical center after preoperative evaluation by the anesthesiology team, including review of comorbidities, medication reconciliation, airway assessment, and informed consent for anesthesia. On the day of surgery the anesthesiologist documents the anesthetic plan (general endotracheal anesthesia, neuraxial block, or monitored anesthesia care with sedation) appropriate to the patient and procedure. Intraoperative care includes induction, airway management, hemodynamic monitoring, fluid management, analgesia, and emergence. Postoperative handoff to post-anesthesia care unit staff documents anesthetic agents given, estimated blood loss, intraoperative events, and pain control plan. Typical sites of service are the hospital operating room or an accredited ambulatory surgery center.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
22 | Increased procedural services | Use when anesthesia required substantially greater effort or complexity than typical for the procedure and documentation supports increased work. |
23 |