Summary & Overview

CPT 01320: Anesthesia for Knee and Popliteal Soft-Tissue Procedures

CPT code 01320 designates anesthesia services for procedures involving the nerves, muscles, tendons, fascia, and bursae of the knee and popliteal area. This code captures anesthetic care specifically tied to soft-tissue and neurovascular procedures in the posterior and periarticular regions of the knee. It matters nationally because anesthesia coding influences reimbursement, care setting classification, and provider billing consistency for common orthopedic and sports-medicine procedures.

Key payers covered in this overview include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, United Healthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise explanation of the clinical context for 01320, typical sites of service, and how it relates to comparable anesthesia codes used for knee procedures. The publication summarizes common billing considerations, typical clinical indications that map to this code (for example, procedures addressing knee soft tissue structures and popliteal interventions), and the relationship to related anesthesia codes used for knee procedures.

The article provides actionable reference material for coding teams, billing analysts, and policy staff: a clear definition of the service captured by 01320, an explanation of where it is typically performed, the primary payers relevant for national coverage discussions, and pointers to related anesthesia codes for knee procedures. Data not available in the input.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnited HealthcareMedicareCPT 01320anesthesiaknee procedurespopliteal anesthesiaorthopedic codingoperative anesthesiaregional anesthesiaprocedure coding

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 01320 describes anesthesia services provided for procedures on the nerves, muscles, tendons, fascia, and bursae of the knee and popliteal area. The service type is regional or general anesthesia specifically for knee/popliteal soft tissue procedures, and the typical site of service is an operating room or procedure suite where surgical or interventional procedures on the knee or popliteal area are performed.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 62-year-old patient with progressive unilateral knee pain from primary osteoarthritis (M17.11) is scheduled for arthroscopic debridement and possible repair of medial meniscal and ligamentous structures in the right knee and popliteal region. Preoperative evaluation by the anesthesia team documents ASA class P3 due to controlled hypertension and diabetes. The patient receives regional anesthesia targeting the femoral and popliteal sciatic nerve distribution with monitored sedation. Intraoperative responsibilities include airway management, sedation titration, hemodynamic monitoring, and documentation of regional block performance and effectiveness. Postoperative handoff to PACU includes block efficacy, analgesia plan, and anesthesia record confirming the use of anesthesia services specific to nerves, muscles, tendons, fascia, and bursae of the knee/popliteal area, billed with 01320.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when anesthesia care required substantially greater work due to complexity, documented with rationale and time.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`207L00000X`	Anesthesiology	Physician anesthesiologists who supervise or personally perform `01320`.
`367500000X`	Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist	CRNAs who deliver or co-deliver anesthesia services for knee and popliteal procedures.
`207RA0401X`	Anesthesiology Assistant	Anesthesiology assistants who provide anesthesia under physician supervision for these procedures.

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`M17.11`	Unilateral primary osteoarthritis, right knee	Common indication for arthroscopic or open knee procedures requiring anesthesia services to nerves/muscles/tendons of the knee.
`M17.12`	Unilateral primary osteoarthritis, left knee	Same relevance for left-sided knee procedures in the popliteal/knee region.
`S83.241A`	Sprain of medial collateral ligament of right knee, initial encounter	Acute ligamentous injury that may require operative repair or debridement under regional or general anesthesia.
`S83.242A`	Sprain of medial collateral ligament of left knee, initial encounter	Left-sided counterpart with similar operative anesthesia needs.
`M23.50`	Chronic instability of knee, unspecified knee	Indicates chronic joint instability often addressed surgically with procedures involving tendons, ligaments, and surrounding tissues requiring targeted anesthesia.

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