CPT 01931: Anesthesia for Therapeutic Interventional Radiology on Liver Circulation
CPT code 01931 denotes anesthesia services delivered during therapeutic interventional radiology procedures targeting intrahepatic or portal circulation — the vascular system within the liver. This code is used when anesthesia care is required for image-guided treatments such as catheter-directed therapies or embolization that access the liver’s blood supply. Nationally, accurate use of this code matters for clinical documentation, appropriate payment for anesthesia teams, and consistent reporting of resource use for complex hepatic interventions.
Key payers included in this analysis are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, United Healthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise clinical context for when 01931 applies, an outline of typical settings where the service is delivered, and pointers to related anesthesia and interventional radiology procedures. The publication also summarizes common billing considerations and related procedural codes to help clarify coding relationships for complex ophthalmic and hepatic interventional scenarios.
This overview is intended for a national audience of anesthesia providers, interventional radiology teams, coding professionals, and payor policy analysts seeking clear guidance on the clinical scope and billing context of CPT code 01931.
Customize your policy alerts
Sign up for cpt 01931 policy alerts
Get alerted when payer policies referencing 01931 are released or updated.
Monitor payer policy activity
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 01931 describes anesthesia services provided for therapeutic interventional radiological procedures on intrahepatic or portal circulation. This code covers anesthesia care when the procedure targets blood circulation within the liver, such as catheter-directed treatments or embolization procedures.
Service type: Anesthesia for therapeutic interventional radiology procedures on intrahepatic or portal circulation.
Typical site of service: Hospital interventional radiology suite or ambulatory surgical center where image-guided liver vascular procedures are performed.
National Reimbursement Benchmarks
Commercial reimbursement for CPT 01931 centers around BUCA’s average commercial rate of $72.70, with notable variation among major payers. Aetna and Cigna sit at higher mean levels ($86.90 and $94.20 respectively) while Blue Cross Blue Shield and UnitedHealth Group are lower on average ($62.60 and $67.10). Maxima and minima are available for some carriers but BUCA is presented as the average commercial benchmark rather than extremes.
Dispersion (P75 minus P25) highlights where rates are most and least concentrated: Aetna’s interquartile spread is $70.70 ($115.40 - $44.70), Cigna’s is $54.20 ($121.10 - $67.90), Blue Cross Blue Shield’s is $39.70 ($78.30 - $42.60), UnitedHealth Group’s is $30.30 ($80.30 - $51.00), and BUCA’s is $47.60 ($92.00 - $48.40). Aetna exhibits the widest dispersion and UnitedHealth Group the tightest.