CPT 00948: Anesthesia for Cervical Cerclage
CPT code 00948 designates anesthesia services provided for cervical cerclage, a surgical intervention in pregnant patients with an incompetent cervix intended to reduce the risk of premature birth. This code identifies the anesthetic component of a targeted obstetric surgical procedure and matters nationally because cervical cerclage involves coordinated perioperative care, resource allocation in labor and delivery settings, and impacts maternal–fetal safety and anesthesiology staffing.
Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, United Healthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of the clinical context for 00948, typical sites of service, and how this anesthesia service is classified relative to adjacent perineal and obstetric anesthesia codes. The publication outlines benchmark considerations for payers listed above, common modifier usage patterns encountered in practice, and relationships to related anesthetic procedure codes. It also highlights relevant coding neighbors to aid billing accuracy.
Intended for billing managers, anesthesiology and obstetrics clinical leads, and revenue cycle staff, this summary provides essential context to support accurate claim assignment and administrative workflows nationally. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable.
Customize your policy alerts
Sign up for cpt 00948 policy alerts
Get alerted when payer policies referencing 00948 are released or updated.
Monitor payer policy activity
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 00948 describes anesthesia services for cervical cerclage, a procedure in which the surgical provider places sutures to close the cervix in a pregnant patient with an incompetent cervix to help prevent premature delivery. The service type is anesthesia for an obstetric surgical procedure. The typical site of service is an operating room or labor and delivery surgical suite where obstetric procedures are performed.
National Reimbursement Benchmarks
Commercial reimbursement centers on BUCA’s average commercial rate of $82.7 for CPT 00948, which sits near the middle of the payer mix and provides a practical benchmark for comparison. Blue Cross Blue Shield’s median of $67.6 and UnitedHealth Group’s median of $64.2 are both below BUCA’s mean, while Aetna and Cigna have higher medians ($86.4 and $88.0 respectively), with Aetna reaching a national maximum of $301 and Cigna a maximum of $165.8 — indicating pockets of much higher reimbursement for those payers.
Dispersion measured by the interquartile range (P75 minus P25) highlights differences in rate consistency: Cigna’s IQR is $61.8 (from $70.00 to $131.80), Aetna’s IQR is $84.0 (from $45.00 to $129.90), Blue Cross Blue Shield’s IQR is $46.5, BUCA’s IQR is $49.3, and UnitedHealth Group’s IQR is $29.0. UnitedHealth Group is the tightest payer with an IQR of $29.0, while Aetna is the widest at $84.0, showing the largest middle‑50% spread among the payers.