CPT 01932: Anesthesia for Therapeutic Interventional Radiology of Jugular/Intrathoracic Veins
CPT code 01932 designates anesthesia services for therapeutic interventional radiology procedures targeting the jugular vein or intrathoracic veins. This code captures anesthetic management for central venous interventions that often occur in hospital-based interventional radiology suites or operating rooms. Accurate use of 01932 matters nationally because it delineates anesthesia care for high-risk vascular access and endovascular therapies that require focused peri-procedural monitoring and airway/hemodynamic management.
Key payers included in this overview are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, United Healthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise explanation of the clinical context for 01932, comparisons to closely related anesthesia interventional radiology codes, and the practical billing scope for national payers. The publication outlines common coding relationships and typical sites of service, helping clinical administrators and coding staff understand when 01932 is the appropriate anesthesia code for central venous therapeutic procedures.
The content summarizes how 01932 fits within anesthesia service reporting for interventional radiology, highlights the clinical scenarios where the code applies, and describes what readers should expect in payer coverage considerations and coding workflows. Data not provided in the input (such as payer-specific reimbursement rates and utilization benchmarks) is identified as not available.
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Billing Code Overview
CPT code 01932 describes anesthesia services provided for therapeutic interventional radiological procedures involving the jugular vein or intrathoracic veins. The code applies when an anesthesia provider manages peri-procedural anesthesia for interventions performed on major central veins that return blood from the head and drain into the chest and heart.
Service type: Anesthesia for therapeutic interventional radiology procedures involving central venous structures
Typical site of service: Interventional radiology suite or operating room within a hospital or ambulatory surgical center where central venous interventional procedures are performed
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is an adult or pediatric individual undergoing a therapeutic interventional radiology procedure that accesses major central veins such as the internal jugular vein or intrathoracic veins (for example, central venous thrombolysis, mechanical thrombectomy of a central venous thrombus, or endovascular treatment of thoracic venous stenosis). The patient often presents with symptoms related to venous obstruction or catheter-related complications (eg, arm or facial swelling, catheter dysfunction, or thrombus proven on imaging). Relevant preoperative diagnoses in this dataset include otologic and Eustachian tube conditions (for example, H65.90, H66.90, H72.90, H68.109, H69.90) when the interventional procedure is coordinated during concurrent ENT-directed care or when anesthesia planning must account for recent ear disease and possible infection.
The clinical workflow: the patient is evaluated by interventional radiology and the anesthesia team pre-procedure for airway, comorbidities, and procedural risk. In the IR suite or hybrid operating room, monitored anesthesia care or general endotracheal anesthesia is induced per anesthesiologist judgment. Vascular access and imaging-guided venous intervention are performed by the interventional radiologist while the anesthesiologist provides continuous management of ventilation, hemodynamics, and analgesia. Post-procedure the patient is recovered in PACU or an ICU setting depending on complexity and comorbid status; documentation must support the level of anesthesia service, time, and any intraoperative events or additional services billed under 01932.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
22 | Increased procedural services | Use when the anesthesia service required substantially greater effort or time than usual and documentation supports increased work. |
23 | Unusual anesthesia | Use when anesthesia is medically necessary but a procedure is performed under emergency or unusual circumstances without general anesthesia (CMS definition applied to anesthesia context). |
50 | Bilateral procedure | Use if identical venous interventions are performed bilaterally and anesthesia billing policies permit bilateral modifier application. |
52 | Reduced services | Use when the anesthesia service was partially reduced or truncated; document reasons and time. |
53 | Discontinued procedure | Use when the procedure and anesthesia were started but discontinued for documented clinical reasons. |
54 | Surgical care only | Use when only the surgical component is billed by the surgeon and anesthesia billing reflects separate service; for multi-provider scenarios to clarify responsibility. |
55 | Postoperative management only | Use when the anesthesiologist provides only postoperative care (rare for this anesthesia code) and intraoperative anesthesia was billed by another provider. |
62 | Two surgeons | Use when co-surgeons are required; may affect concurrent provider responsibilities in complex hybrid procedures. |
78 | Return to OR for related procedure by same physician | Use when a related venous procedure requires a return to the procedure room during the global period and anesthesia is required again. |
AA | Anesthesia services performed personally by anesthesiologist | Use when the reporting anesthesiologist personally furnished the service. |
AD | Medical supervision by a physician; more than four concurrent anesthesia procedures | Use when the physician supervises more than four concurrent anesthesia procedures. |
AS | Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist services for anesthesia | Use when an eligible non-physician anesthesia professional furnishes the service under appropriate supervision per payer rules. |
QK | Medical direction of two, three, or four concurrent anesthesia procedures involving qualified individuals | Use when the anesthesiologist medically directs multiple concurrent anesthesia services and meets CMS reporting requirements. |
QY | Medical direction by anesthesiologist of one CRNA | Use when the anesthesiologist medically directs a single certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA). |
| Taxonomy Code | Specialty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
207L00000X | Anesthesiology | Primary specialty that performs and documents anesthesia services for 01932. |
207LA0401X | Pediatric Anesthesiology | Applies when pediatric patients require specialized anesthesia care for central venous interventional radiology. |
207LC0200X | Critical Care Medicine (Anesthesiology) | Relevant when patients require peri-procedural critical care level management or ICU-level anesthesia oversight. |
Related Diagnoses
| ICD-10 Code | Description | Clinical Relevance |
|---|---|---|
H65.90 | Unspecified non-suppurative otitis media, unspecified ear | Otologic diagnoses may coexist when vascular procedures are coordinated with ENT care or when recent ear infection affects anesthesia planning (eg, airway or infection risk). |
H66.90 | Otitis media, unspecified, unspecified ear | Indicates middle ear disease that may be active or recent; relevant for perioperative infection control and anesthesia airway considerations. |
H72.90 | Perforation of tympanic membrane, unspecified ear | Tympanic membrane perforation can influence middle ear status and perioperative management, including positioning and pressure-related considerations. |
H68.109 | Eustachian salpingitis, unspecified ear | Eustachian tube inflammation may be present in patients undergoing ENT procedures in conjunction with venous interventions; informs perioperative evaluation. |
H69.90 | Unspecified Eustachian tube disorder, unspecified ear | Eustachian tube dysfunction may be part of combined procedural planning or affect sedation/anesthesia tolerance. |
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description | Relationship to This Procedure |
|---|---|---|
01930 | ANES VENOUS/LYMPHATIC NOS THER IVNTL RAD NOS | Alternative anesthesia code for therapeutic venous or lymphatic interventional radiology procedures when specific venous site is not specified. |
01931 | ANESTHESIA INTRAHEPATIC/PORTAL THER IVNTL RAD | Related anesthesia code for interventions targeting intrahepatic or portal venous systems; used when procedure site differs from jugular/intrathoracic veins. |
01933 | ANES INTRACRANIAL THER IVNTL RAD VENS/LYMPHTC | Related anesthesia code for intracranial venous or lymphatic interventions; used for procedures involving intracranial venous structures rather than intrathoracic/jugular veins. |