Summary & Overview
CPT 01120: Anesthesia for Procedures on the Bony Pelvis
CPT code 01120 denotes anesthesia services furnished for procedures on the bony pelvis. This code captures anesthetic management for surgical interventions that involve pelvic bones and is used across hospital and ambulatory surgical settings. Accurate use of this code supports appropriate billing for complex perioperative anesthetic care tied to orthopedic, trauma, oncologic, or reconstructive pelvic procedures. Nationally, anesthesia coding for pelvic surgery affects reimbursement streams for anesthesia providers and facilities and contributes to case-mix and resource allocation analyses.
Key payers in the coverage landscape include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, United Healthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find an overview of clinical context for pelvic bony procedures, typical sites of service, common related anesthesia considerations, comparison to closely related anesthesia codes for pelvic procedures, and payer coverage patterns. The publication outlines benchmarking and billing considerations, lists common associated modifiers and diagnoses for reference, and highlights related anesthesia codes that may be reported for different pelvic procedure variants. The intent is to provide a concise reference for coding accuracy, billing clarity, and operational planning for anesthesia service lines.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 01120 describes anesthesia services provided for procedures on the bony pelvis. The service type is anesthesia for pelvic bony procedures, which includes administration and management of anesthetic care before, during, and immediately after surgical interventions involving the pelvic bones. The typical site of service is an inpatient or outpatient surgical setting where operative procedures on the pelvis are performed, such as hospital operating rooms or ambulatory surgery centers.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 72-year-old female presents to the orthopedic service after a ground-level fall with severe pelvic pain and inability to bear weight. Imaging demonstrates a displaced pathological fracture of the pelvis consistent with osteoporosis. The patient is scheduled for open reduction and internal fixation of the pelvic ring under general endotracheal anesthesia. The anesthesia team performs preoperative assessment, documents ASA physical status P3 for multiple comorbidities (hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), obtains informed consent for anesthesia, places standard monitors and arterial line for hemodynamic monitoring, induces general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation, provides intraoperative anesthetic management including blood loss replacement and analgesia, and coordinates postoperative handoff to PACU with anesthetic record documentation. Typical site of service is an inpatient operating room; occasionally procedures on the bony pelvis occur in an ambulatory surgical center for less complex procedures such as bone marrow biopsy of the iliac crest. Common payors include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, BUCA, and Medicare.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
22 | Increased procedural services | Use when anesthesia for pelvic surgery requires substantially greater work due to surgical complexity or prolonged management beyond typical for . |