CPT 01442: Anesthesia for Popliteal Thromboendarterectomy
CPT code 01442 designates anesthesia services for a popliteal thromboendarterectomy procedure, which may include use of a patch graft to repair the popliteal artery. This code captures the anesthetic management of a lower-extremity vascular surgery that is commonly performed in an operating room setting. Nationally, accurate use of this CPT code supports appropriate billing for complex intraoperative anesthesia encounters tied to limb-salvage and vascular reconstruction procedures.
Key payers included in this overview are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise clinical context for the procedure and anesthesia service, comparisons to related orthopedic and arthroscopic procedure codes, and the typical procedural setting. The publication summarizes common billing considerations, typical diagnostic mappings for knee-related indications, and how this anesthesia service aligns with associated surgical codes used for knee and vascular procedures.
This summary is intended to help clinicians, anesthesiology services, and revenue cycle teams understand the clinical scope of CPT code 01442, the service environment in which it is billed, and the types of surgical procedures it accompanies. Data not available in the input concerning specific payer reimbursement rates or utilization benchmarks.
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Billing Code Overview
CPT code 01442 covers anesthesia services provided for a popliteal thromboendarterectomy, a vascular surgical procedure on the popliteal artery that may include a patch graft. The service type is intraoperative anesthesia for lower extremity vascular surgery. The typical site of service is an operating room or accredited inpatient/outpatient surgical facility where vascular surgery is performed.
National Reimbursement Benchmarks
National commercial pricing for CPT 01442 centers around BUCA’s average commercial rate of $67.00, with notable variation across large national insurers. Cigna’s mean of $93.70 and median of $85.70 sit well above BUCA, while Aetna ($57.50 mean, $48.00 median) and Blue Cross Blue Shield ($61.20 mean, $52.00 median) are closer to BUCA. UnitedHealth Group’s mean of $67.20 and median of $63.70 align almost exactly with BUCA’s average, indicating mid-market positioning among the group.
Dispersion measured by the interquartile range (P75−P25) highlights differences in within-payer variability: Cigna has the widest IQR at $52.20 ($120.00 − $67.80), followed by Blue Cross Blue Shield at $33.60 ($75.80 − $42.20). UnitedHealth Group’s IQR is $29.40 ($80.80 − $51.40), BUCA’s IQR is $34.50 ($83.30 − $48.00), and Aetna is the tightest at $30.90 ($71.40 − $41.20). These spreads reflect relative pricing consistency versus volatility across payers.