Summary & Overview

CPT 01482: Anesthesia for Lower Leg, Ankle, and Foot Procedures, Radical Resection

CPT code 01482 represents anesthesia services for major surgical procedures on the bones of the lower leg, ankle, and foot, specifically including radical resections such as below-knee amputation. This code captures perioperative anesthesia management for extensive orthopedic operations and is nationally relevant because these procedures involve significant anesthetic complexity, resource utilization, and postoperative risk management.

Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, and UnitedHealthcare. Readers will find a concise overview of clinical context for the code, typical settings of service, and how this code relates to adjacent anesthesia codes for lower-extremity orthopedic procedures. The publication outlines common billing considerations tied to procedure complexity and highlights related CPT anesthesia codes to aid coding alignment.

The report is designed to inform clinicians, billing staff, and policy analysts about the clinical scope of CPT code 01482, expected sites of service, and its role within anesthesia coding for lower-extremity orthopedic surgery. Benchmarks, policy updates, and coding relationships are summarized to provide a national perspective on billing classification and clinical use. Data not provided in the input (e.g., payer-specific reimbursement rates) is noted where applicable.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcare01482CPTAnesthesiaLower extremity surgeryBelow-knee amputationOrthopedic anesthesiaSurgical anesthesiaProcedure coding

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 01482 describes anesthesia services provided for procedures on the bones of the lower leg, ankle, and foot, including radical resections such as below-knee amputation. The service covers perioperative anesthesia management for extensive orthopedic procedures on the tibia/fibula and structures of the ankle and foot.

Service type: Anesthesia for major orthopedic surgery of the lower leg, ankle, and foot (including radical resection/below-knee amputation)

Typical site of service: Hospital operating room or inpatient surgical suite

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 68-year-old patient with progressive right knee pain from advanced osteoarthritis presents for a planned below-knee amputation (radical resection) after failed conservative management and prior right total knee arthroplasty. Preoperative evaluation documents osteoarthritis of the right knee (M17.11) with pain limiting ambulation, and presence of a right artificial knee joint (Z96.651). The surgical team schedules an open radical resection of the lower leg with below-knee amputation targeting bones of the lower leg, ankle, and foot.

The anesthesia clinical workflow includes preoperative assessment by an anesthesiologist or CRNA with airway and comorbidity evaluation, risk stratification (ASA physical status assignment), informed consent for anesthesia, and formulation of an anesthesia plan (general, regional, or combined) tailored to the patient’s cardiopulmonary status and prior joint prosthesis. On the day of surgery, intraoperative monitoring, administration of induction and maintenance agents, regional nerve block or neuraxial adjuncts if indicated, pain-control planning, and handoff to PACU with postoperative analgesia orders occur. Documentation must capture the medical necessity, anesthesia start and end times, ASA status, intraoperative events, and any qualifying circumstances requiring modifier use.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when anesthesia delivery required substantially greater work or complexity than typical for this procedure (document reasons).
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when medically necessary anesthesia is provided for a procedure usually done with local/regional without sedation, due to unusual circumstances.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when bilateral procedures on lower extremities are performed and anesthesia is reported accordingly.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the service was partially reduced or not completed as planned.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the anesthesia-covered procedure was terminated for patient safety before completion.
`54`	Surgical care only	Use when reporting only the surgeon’s portion (applicable to surgical claims; anesthesia-specific use is limited).
`55`	Postoperative management only	Use when reporting only postoperative care by a physician (limited applicability to anesthesia reporting).
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons work together as primary surgeons; may affect anesthesia planning and documentation.
`78`	Unplanned return to OR	Use when patient returns to OR for related procedure during global period — anesthesia services may be reported with this modifier.
`AA`	Anesthesia service performed personally by anesthesiologist	Use when an MD/DO anesthesiologist personally performs the anesthetic.
`AD`	Medical supervision by anesthesiologist (more than four concurrent anesthesia procedures)	Use when anesthesiologist supervises more than four concurrent procedures and supervision is reported.
`AS`	Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist services for anesthesia	Use when these professionals provide services in place of physician anesthesiologist per payer rules.
`QK`	Medical direction of two, three, or four CRNAs/AA by an anesthesiologist	Use when anesthesiologist medically directs multiple CRNAs/AAs during this procedure.
`QS`	Monitored anesthesia care (MAC) service	Use when monitored anesthesia care is provided and reportable per payer policy.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`207L00000X`	Anesthesiology	Physician anesthesiologists performing preoperative assessment and intraoperative anesthesia for lower leg/ankle/foot radical resection.
`367500000X`	Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist	CRNAs providing anesthesia services independently or under direction, common providers for this CPT.
`207RA0401X`	Anesthesiology Assistant	Anesthesia assistants participating under anesthesiologist supervision; documentation per supervisory rules.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`M17.10`	Unilateral primary osteoarthritis, unspecified knee	May represent degenerative disease leading to severe pain and disability requiring major lower leg surgery when conservative measures fail.
`M17.11`	Unilateral primary osteoarthritis, right knee	Specific laterality relevant to operative planning for right-sided below-knee radical resection and anesthesia positioning.
`M17.12`	Unilateral primary osteoarthritis, left knee	Specific laterality relevant to operative planning for left-sided procedures.
`M17.5`	Other unilateral secondary osteoarthritis of knee	Secondary degenerative changes from prior trauma or joint disease that may contribute to the need for radical resection.
`Z96.651`	Presence of right artificial knee joint	Presence of prosthesis influences surgical approach, anesthesia planning, and potential prosthesis-related complications.
`Z96.652`	Presence of left artificial knee joint	Presence of prosthesis on the left side with implications for surgical and anesthetic management.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`01480`	Anesthesia for open procedures on bones of lower leg, ankle, and foot	Related anesthesia code for open procedures of the same anatomic region; may be selected when surgical approach differs from a radical resection.
`01484`	Anesthesia for procedures on bones of lower leg, ankle, and foot; osteotomy or osteoplasty of tibia and/or fibula	Used when the surgical procedure is an osteotomy/osteoplasty rather than radical resection; alternative related anesthesia code in workflow.