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.
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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.
National Reimbursement Benchmarks
Commercial rates for CPT 00944 center around BUCA’s average commercial benchmark of $84.70, with payer-level means ranging from $67.30 to $133.80. Blue Cross Blue Shield concentrations are relatively narrow: its interquartile range (P75–P25) is $38.80, and UnitedHealth Group is similarly tight with an IQR of $27.80, indicating these payers cluster reimbursements closer to their medians. Cigna and BUCA show wider dispersion—Cigna’s IQR is $56.40 and BUCA’s IQR is $56.70—suggesting greater variability in commercially negotiated rates across regions or contracts.
Aetna displays the largest spread in absolute terms: its IQR is $133.20, far wider than other payers, with a high mean of $133.80 that pulls the commercial average upward. Cigna’s mean of $95.30 and Blue Cross Blue Shield’s mean of $70.60 flank BUCA’s $84.70 average, while UnitedHealth Group’s mean of $67.30 sits at the lower end of the national commercial spectrum. These differences underscore substantial payer-level variation in reimbursement for this code.