CPT 01924: Anesthesia for Therapeutic Arterial Interventional Radiology Procedures
CPT code 01924 designates anesthesia services provided during therapeutic interventional radiology procedures targeting the arterial system. It captures anesthesia care when no more specific anesthesia code applies, making it important for accurate billing of endovascular and arterial interventional procedures. Nationally, proper use of this code affects payment, resource allocation, and reporting for anesthesia services in interventional radiology.
Key payers included in this analysis are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, United Healthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find an outline of clinical context and typical sites of service, common payer coverage considerations, and the relationship between 01924 and related anesthesia and interventional radiology codes. The publication also summarizes common modifiers and procedural associations relevant to coding and claims adjudication.
This resource provides benchmarks and policy-relevant notes to help billing professionals, anesthesia providers, and health system administrators understand how 01924 is positioned among anesthesia codes and how it is used for therapeutic arterial interventional radiology procedures. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable.
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Billing Code Overview
CPT code 01924 describes anesthesia services for therapeutic interventional radiological procedures involving the arterial system. The code is used when an anesthesiologist or anesthesia professional provides anesthesia care for endovascular or other arterial interventional radiology procedures that are not specified by another anesthesia code.
Service type: Anesthesia for therapeutic interventional radiology procedures (arterial system)
Typical site of service: Interventional radiology suite or catheterization laboratory (hospital or outpatient imaging center)
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is an adult presenting after facial trauma with orbital fractures and globe displacement requiring therapeutic endovascular or image-guided arterial procedures to control hemorrhage or restore vascular integrity. Pre-procedure evaluation by the anesthesiology team documents airway status, hemodynamic stability, and comorbidities (ASA classification). The patient is transported to the interventional radiology (IR) suite or hybrid operating room where continuous invasive monitoring (arterial line, ECG, pulse oximetry) is established. General endotracheal anesthesia with secure airway control is commonly used because of potential facial injuries, ophthalmic involvement, and the need for absolute immobility during microcatheter navigation. Anesthesia management includes induction, maintenance, and emergence tailored to minimize globe pressure and provide controlled hemodynamics for arterial access and embolization. Post-procedure, the patient recovers in a PACU or IR recovery area with focused monitoring for neurologic, ocular, and vascular complications and handed off to the surgical or trauma team for further care.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
23 | Unusual anesthesia | Use when general anesthesia is medically necessary for a procedure normally done without general anesthesia because of patient condition (e.g., severe facial trauma with globe displacement). |
50 | Bilateral procedure | Use when identical procedures are performed on both sides and separate anesthesia reporting is appropriate. |
52 | Reduced services | Use when the anesthesia service is partially reduced or abbreviated (e.g., procedure abbreviated due to intra-procedural change). |
53 | Discontinued procedure | Use when anesthesia is provided but the procedure is terminated for reasons distinct from the patient’s condition (e.g., equipment failure). |
54 | Surgical care only | Use when the anesthesiologist provides only intraoperative anesthesia and not pre/postoperative management. |
55 | Postoperative management only | Use when the anesthesiologist provides only postoperative management. |
62 | Two surgeons | Use when two surgeons operate together; relevant if anesthesia reporting must indicate simultaneous surgical teams. |
77 | Repeat procedure by another physician | Use when a separate anesthesia episode is provided for a repeat IR arterial procedure by another clinician. |
78 | Return to the operating/procedure room for a related procedure during the postoperative period | Use when the patient returns to IR/OR for a related arterial intervention requiring additional anesthesia. |
AA | Anesthesia by the anesthesiologist | Use to indicate the service was personally performed by a physician anesthesiologist. |
AD | Medical supervision by a physician: more than four concurrent anesthesia procedures | Use when an anesthesiologist supervises multiple concurrent anesthetists. |
QK | Medical direction of two, three, or four concurrent anesthesia procedures involving qualified individuals | Use when the physician medically directs multiple concurrent anesthetists. |
QS | Monitored anesthesia care (MAC) service | Use when monitored anesthesia care rather than general or regional anesthesia is provided. |
CR | Catastrophe/disaster related | Use when anesthesia services are directly attributable to a recognized disaster event. |
| Taxonomy Code | Specialty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
207L00000X | Anesthesiology | Primary provider specialty for administration of anesthesia during therapeutic arterial interventional radiology procedures. |
Related Diagnoses
| ICD-10 Code | Description | Clinical Relevance |
|---|---|---|
S02.3XXA | Fracture of orbital floor, initial encounter | Orbital fractures can cause hemorrhage or globe displacement requiring arterial embolization or other therapeutic IR arterial procedures. |
H05.20 | Unspecified exophthalmos | Proptosis may reflect traumatic or vascular orbital pathology contributing to need for vascular intervention. |
H05.221 | Displacement of globe, right eye | Globe displacement from trauma can be associated with orbital bleeding or vascular injury managed with arterial IR therapy. |
H05.222 | Displacement of globe, left eye | Same clinical relevance for the left eye as above. |
H05.223 | Displacement of globe, bilateral | Bilateral globe displacement indicates extensive orbital trauma and may increase the complexity and anesthesia risk of therapeutic arterial IR procedures. |
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description | Relationship to This Procedure |
|---|---|---|
01916 | Anesthesia for diagnostic arteriography/venography (e.g., for cerebral, renal, or peripheral diagnostic angiography) | Diagnostic arteriography may precede or accompany therapeutic arterial IR procedures; 01916 is used when anesthesia is provided for diagnostic-only angiographic studies. |