CPT 01937: Anesthesia for Image-Guided Cervical or Thoracic Spine Procedures

CPT code 01937 represents anesthesiology services for percutaneous image-guided injection, drainage, or aspiration procedures on the cervical or thoracic spine or spinal cord. This code captures the peri-procedural anesthesia component when clinicians provide monitoring, analgesia, sedation, or general anesthesia tailored to image-guided spinal interventions. Nationally, accurate use of CPT code 01937 affects resource allocation, claims adjudication, and quality measurement for spine interventional services.

Key payers commonly applying policies to this service include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of clinical context for anesthesia during cervical and thoracic image-guided spinal procedures, typical sites of service, and which payers are relevant to coverage and coding considerations. The publication also summarizes benchmarking and policy updates where available, and explains the relationship of this anesthesia code to related procedural and billing concepts. Data not available in the input will be noted where applicable.

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Billing Code Overview

CPT code 01937 describes anesthesia services provided for patients undergoing percutaneous image-guided injection, drainage, or aspiration procedures on the cervical or thoracic spine or spinal cord. This encompasses anesthetic management specific to minimally invasive, image-directed interventions targeting the cervical or thoracic regions of the spine.

Service type: Anesthesia for percutaneous image-guided spinal procedures
Typical site of service: Hospital operating room, ambulatory surgical center, or interventional radiology suite where image-guided cervical or thoracic spine procedures are performed.

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CPT 01937: Anesthesia for Image-Guided Cervical or Thoracic Spine Procedures

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Billing Code Overview

Service type: Anesthesia for percutaneous image-guided spinal procedures
Typical site of service: Hospital operating room, ambulatory surgical center, or interventional radiology suite where image-guided cervical or thoracic spine procedures are performed.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 56-year-old patient presents with chronic, radicular cervical pain refractory to conservative management (physical therapy, oral analgesics, and epidural steroid injections). Imaging (MRI and CT) demonstrates focal cervical facet arthropathy and suspected cervical nerve root impingement. The interventional pain team schedules a percutaneous, image-guided cervical spine injection for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes under monitored anesthesia care. The anesthesia provider performs sedation and airway management appropriate for a cervical percutaneous injection procedure, monitors hemodynamics and neurologic status, and documents pre-procedure evaluation, intra-procedure anesthetic agents and dosages, physiologic monitoring, and post-anesthesia recovery. Typical workflow: pre-procedure evaluation and informed consent, transport to fluoroscopy/CT suite, positioning with immobilization of the cervical spine, sterile preparation, image-guided needle placement for injection/aspiration/drainage, local anesthetic with or without steroid, anesthesia sedation or MAC provided throughout the procedure, post-procedure monitoring in PACU, discharge with post-procedure instructions.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`01937`	Anesthesia for percutaneous image-guided injection, drainage, or aspiration procedures on the cervical or thoracic spine or spinal cord	Primary anesthesia code for this procedure (the code in question).
`64490`	Injection(s), diagnostic or therapeutic agent, paravertebral facet joint, cervical or thoracic; single level	Commonly performed as the targeted spinal injection that may be the reason anesthesia is provided.
`62287`	Injection procedure for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes; thoracic or cervical, single injection, including imaging guidance	Often performed with image guidance; anesthesia supports patient comfort and immobility.
`77002`	Fluoroscopic guidance for needle placement (single plane)	Imaging guidance code used during percutaneous spine injections; typically reported by the facility or radiology provider.
`76000`	Fluoroscopy (radiologic guidance)	Alternative imaging guidance code; used during needle placement when billed by the radiology or facility service.
`99152`	Moderate sedation services provided by the same physician/other qualified health care professional performing the diagnostic or therapeutic service, for initial 15 minutes	May be billed when moderate sedation is provided and billed separately from anesthesia services, depending on payer policy.

Related Modifiers

9 rows

Modifier	Description	When to Use
23	Modifier -23 (Unusual Anesthesia) is used on anesthesia service CPT codes when a procedure that normally requires no anesthesia or only local anesthesia must be performed under general anesthesia…	- Use modifier -23 only on anesthesia CPT codes (00100–01999) when a procedure that normally requires no anesthesia or only local anesthesia must be performed under general anesthesia because of…
50	Modifier –50 (Bilateral Procedure) is appended to a CPT code when an identical procedure is performed on paired anatomical structures during the same operative session. The AMA states to add…	- Use modifier -50 when the same CPT surgical, diagnostic, or radiology procedure is performed on paired anatomical structures (both sides of the body) during the same operative/session by the same…
52	Modifier ‑52 (Reduced Services) indicates that a service or procedure was partially reduced or omitted at the provider’s discretion, allowing reporting of the basic procedure number with a qualifier…	- Use modifier -52 when a physician or qualified health professional electively reduces or omits part of a procedure or service (for example, performing fewer required views or omitting a portion of…
53	Modifier 53 (Discontinued Procedure) signals that a surgical or diagnostic service was begun by the physician but terminated because of extenuating circumstances that threatened the patient’s…	- Use modifier -53 when a physician/qualified healthcare professional has started a surgical or diagnostic procedure (e.g., anesthesia administered, incision or scope insertion) and then discontinues…
54	Modifier ‑54 (“Surgical care only”) is appended to a CPT surgical procedure when the reporting surgeon performs the intraoperative (surgical) component but does not furnish the preoperative and/or…	- Use modifier -54 when the reporting surgeon provided only the intraoperative (surgical) component of a procedure and preoperative and/or postoperative management has been or will be provided by…
55	Modifier –55 indicates the billing provider furnished only postoperative management for a procedure that has a global surgical period. According to AAPC, this modifier is appended to the same CPT…	- Use modifier -55 when billing the same CPT surgical code that has a 10- or 90-day global period and you, as a provider other than the original surgeon, furnished ONLY postoperative management (no…
59	Modifier 59 indicates a distinct procedural service when two procedures that are not normally billed together are clinically and procedurally separate. The CPT definition (as reiterated by CMS)…	- Use modifier -59 to report a distinct procedural service when documentation supports that the procedure reported is not normally billed together with another service on the same day because of a…
62	Modifier 62 indicates that two surgeons function as co‑surgeons, each performing distinct parts of the same primary surgical procedure. It is appended to the primary procedure code (and any…	- Use modifier -62 when two surgeons act as co‑surgeons (both primary surgeons) on a single definitive primary procedure, each performing distinct parts of the same surgical procedure (append -62 to…
78	CPT modifier -78 indicates an unplanned, related return to the operating or procedure room by the same provider during the global postoperative period. It is appended when treatment for a…	- Use modifier -78 when an unplanned, related complication during the original procedure’s global postoperative period requires the patient to return to a formal operating or procedure room and the…

Related Provider Taxonomies

8 rows

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
2084P0800X	Psychiatry Physician	A Psychiatrist specializes in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders, emotional disorders, psychotic disorders, mood disorders, …
363A00000X	Physician Assistant	A physician assistant is a person who has successfully completed an accredited education program for physician assistant, is licensed by the state and…
2086S0102X	Surgical Critical Care Physician	A surgeon with expertise in the management of the critically ill and postoperative patient, particularly the trauma victim, who specializes in critica…
207L00000X	Anesthesiology Physician	An anesthesiologist is trained to provide pain relief and maintenance, or restoration, of a stable condition during and immediately following an opera…
207K00000X	Allergy & Immunology Physician	An allergist-immunologist is trained in evaluation, physical and laboratory diagnosis, and management of disorders involving the immune system. Select…
207NI0002X	Clinical & Laboratory Dermatological Immunology Physician	A dermatologist who utilizes various specialized laboratory procedures to diagnose disorders characterized by defective responses of the body's immune…
237600000X	Audiologist-Hearing Aid Fitter	An audiologist/hearing aid fitter is the professional who specializes in evaluating and treating people with hearing loss, conducts a wide variety of …
2471S1302X	Sonography Radiologic Technologist	A radiologic technologist who specializes in sonography and is appropriately educated and trained, consistent with nationally recognized standards, st…

Related ICD-10-CM Codes

20 rows

ICD-10-CM Code	Description
M43.15	Spondylolisthesis, thoracolumbar region
M47.812	Spondylosis without myelopathy or radiculopathy, cervical region
M47.813	Spondylosis without myelopathy or radiculopathy, cervicothoracic region
M48.02	Spinal stenosis, cervical region
M48.03	Spinal stenosis, cervicothoracic region
M50.13	Cervical disc disorder with radiculopathy, cervicothoracic region
M51.24	Other intervertebral disc displacement, thoracic region
M53.2X5	Spinal instabilities, thoracolumbar region
M53.2X6	Spinal instabilities, lumbar region
M54.12	Radiculopathy, cervical region

Showing 1–10 of 20

CPT 01916: Anesthesia for Diagnostic Arteriography or Venography

CPT-01920-CORONARY-ANGIOGRAPHY-VENTRICULOGRAPHY-ANESTHESIA

CPT 01920: Anesthesia for Coronary Angiography and Ventriculography

CPT-01922-ANESTHESIA-NONINVASIVE-IMAGING-RADIATION-THERAPY

CPT 01922: Anesthesia for Non‑Invasive Imaging or Radiation Therapy

CPT-01924-ANESTHESIA-THERAPEUTIC-INTERVENTIONAL-ARTERIAL-PROCEDURES

CPT 01924: Anesthesia for Therapeutic Arterial Interventional Radiology Procedures

CPT-01925-ANESTHESIA-THERAPEUTIC-INTERVENTIONAL-RADIOLOGY-CAROTID-CORONARY

CPT 01925: Anesthesia for Therapeutic Interventional Radiology of Carotid/Coronary Arteries

CPT-01926-ANESTHESIA-THERAPEUTIC-ENDOVASCULAR-AORTIC-INTRACRANIAL-INTRACARDIAC

CPT 01926: Anesthesia for Therapeutic Endovascular Procedures Involving Aorta, Intracranial, Intracardiac

CPT-01930-ANESTHESIA-VENOUS-LYMPHATIC-INTERVENTIONAL-RADIOLOGY

CPT 01930: Anesthesia for Venous/Lymphatic Interventional Radiology Procedures

CPT-01931-ANESTHESIA-INTERVENTIONAL-RADIOLOGY-INTRAHEPATIC-PORTAL

CPT 01931: Anesthesia for Therapeutic Interventional Radiology on Liver Circulation

CPT-01932-ANESTHESIA-INTERVENTIONAL-RADIOLOGY-JUGULAR-INTRATHORACIC-VEINS

CPT 01932: Anesthesia for Therapeutic Interventional Radiology of Jugular/Intrathoracic Veins

CPT-01933-ANESTHESIA-INTRACRANIAL-INTERVENTIONAL-RADIOLOGY

CPT 01933: Anesthesia for Intracranial Interventional Radiology

Showing 1–10 of 15

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

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Trek Health ingests and normalizes Transparency in Coverage data and payer policy updates to give provider organizations a clear view of how commercial reimbursement behaves across markets, payers, and services. Our platform transforms raw payer disclosures into structured intelligence that supports contract evaluation, payer negotiations, and service line strategy. By combining market benchmarks with ongoing policy visibility, Trek helps teams identify variability, risk, and opportunity in commercial reimbursement. The result is faster insight, stronger negotiating positions, and more informed financial decisions.

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Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`01937`	Anesthesia for percutaneous image-guided injection, drainage, or aspiration procedures on the cervical or thoracic spine or spinal cord	Primary anesthesia code for this procedure (the code in question).
`64490`	Injection(s), diagnostic or therapeutic agent, paravertebral facet joint, cervical or thoracic; single level	Commonly performed as the targeted spinal injection that may be the reason anesthesia is provided.
`62287`	Injection procedure for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes; thoracic or cervical, single injection, including imaging guidance	Often performed with image guidance; anesthesia supports patient comfort and immobility.
`77002`	Fluoroscopic guidance for needle placement (single plane)	Imaging guidance code used during percutaneous spine injections; typically reported by the facility or radiology provider.
`76000`	Fluoroscopy (radiologic guidance)	Alternative imaging guidance code; used during needle placement when billed by the radiology or facility service.
`99152`	Moderate sedation services provided by the same physician/other qualified health care professional performing the diagnostic or therapeutic service, for initial 15 minutes	May be billed when moderate sedation is provided and billed separately from anesthesia services, depending on payer policy.

Related Modifiers

9 rows

Modifier	Description	When to Use
23	Modifier -23 (Unusual Anesthesia) is used on anesthesia service CPT codes when a procedure that normally requires no anesthesia or only local anesthesia must be performed under general anesthesia…	- Use modifier -23 only on anesthesia CPT codes (00100–01999) when a procedure that normally requires no anesthesia or only local anesthesia must be performed under general anesthesia because of…
50	Modifier –50 (Bilateral Procedure) is appended to a CPT code when an identical procedure is performed on paired anatomical structures during the same operative session. The AMA states to add…	- Use modifier -50 when the same CPT surgical, diagnostic, or radiology procedure is performed on paired anatomical structures (both sides of the body) during the same operative/session by the same…
52	Modifier ‑52 (Reduced Services) indicates that a service or procedure was partially reduced or omitted at the provider’s discretion, allowing reporting of the basic procedure number with a qualifier…	- Use modifier -52 when a physician or qualified health professional electively reduces or omits part of a procedure or service (for example, performing fewer required views or omitting a portion of…
53	Modifier 53 (Discontinued Procedure) signals that a surgical or diagnostic service was begun by the physician but terminated because of extenuating circumstances that threatened the patient’s…	- Use modifier -53 when a physician/qualified healthcare professional has started a surgical or diagnostic procedure (e.g., anesthesia administered, incision or scope insertion) and then discontinues…
54	Modifier ‑54 (“Surgical care only”) is appended to a CPT surgical procedure when the reporting surgeon performs the intraoperative (surgical) component but does not furnish the preoperative and/or…	- Use modifier -54 when the reporting surgeon provided only the intraoperative (surgical) component of a procedure and preoperative and/or postoperative management has been or will be provided by…
55	Modifier –55 indicates the billing provider furnished only postoperative management for a procedure that has a global surgical period. According to AAPC, this modifier is appended to the same CPT…	- Use modifier -55 when billing the same CPT surgical code that has a 10- or 90-day global period and you, as a provider other than the original surgeon, furnished ONLY postoperative management (no…
59	Modifier 59 indicates a distinct procedural service when two procedures that are not normally billed together are clinically and procedurally separate. The CPT definition (as reiterated by CMS)…	- Use modifier -59 to report a distinct procedural service when documentation supports that the procedure reported is not normally billed together with another service on the same day because of a…
62	Modifier 62 indicates that two surgeons function as co‑surgeons, each performing distinct parts of the same primary surgical procedure. It is appended to the primary procedure code (and any…	- Use modifier -62 when two surgeons act as co‑surgeons (both primary surgeons) on a single definitive primary procedure, each performing distinct parts of the same surgical procedure (append -62 to…
78	CPT modifier -78 indicates an unplanned, related return to the operating or procedure room by the same provider during the global postoperative period. It is appended when treatment for a…	- Use modifier -78 when an unplanned, related complication during the original procedure’s global postoperative period requires the patient to return to a formal operating or procedure room and the…

Related Provider Taxonomies

8 rows

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
2084P0800X	Psychiatry Physician	A Psychiatrist specializes in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders, emotional disorders, psychotic disorders, mood disorders, …
363A00000X	Physician Assistant	A physician assistant is a person who has successfully completed an accredited education program for physician assistant, is licensed by the state and…
2086S0102X	Surgical Critical Care Physician	A surgeon with expertise in the management of the critically ill and postoperative patient, particularly the trauma victim, who specializes in critica…
207L00000X	Anesthesiology Physician	An anesthesiologist is trained to provide pain relief and maintenance, or restoration, of a stable condition during and immediately following an opera…
207K00000X	Allergy & Immunology Physician	An allergist-immunologist is trained in evaluation, physical and laboratory diagnosis, and management of disorders involving the immune system. Select…
207NI0002X	Clinical & Laboratory Dermatological Immunology Physician	A dermatologist who utilizes various specialized laboratory procedures to diagnose disorders characterized by defective responses of the body's immune…
237600000X	Audiologist-Hearing Aid Fitter	An audiologist/hearing aid fitter is the professional who specializes in evaluating and treating people with hearing loss, conducts a wide variety of …
2471S1302X	Sonography Radiologic Technologist	A radiologic technologist who specializes in sonography and is appropriately educated and trained, consistent with nationally recognized standards, st…

Related ICD-10-CM Codes

20 rows

ICD-10-CM Code	Description
M43.15	Spondylolisthesis, thoracolumbar region
M47.812	Spondylosis without myelopathy or radiculopathy, cervical region
M47.813	Spondylosis without myelopathy or radiculopathy, cervicothoracic region
M48.02	Spinal stenosis, cervical region
M48.03	Spinal stenosis, cervicothoracic region
M50.13	Cervical disc disorder with radiculopathy, cervicothoracic region
M51.24	Other intervertebral disc displacement, thoracic region
M53.2X5	Spinal instabilities, thoracolumbar region
M53.2X6	Spinal instabilities, lumbar region
M54.12	Radiculopathy, cervical region

Showing 1–10 of 20

CPT 01916: Anesthesia for Diagnostic Arteriography or Venography

CPT-01920-CORONARY-ANGIOGRAPHY-VENTRICULOGRAPHY-ANESTHESIA

CPT 01920: Anesthesia for Coronary Angiography and Ventriculography

CPT-01922-ANESTHESIA-NONINVASIVE-IMAGING-RADIATION-THERAPY

CPT 01922: Anesthesia for Non‑Invasive Imaging or Radiation Therapy

CPT-01924-ANESTHESIA-THERAPEUTIC-INTERVENTIONAL-ARTERIAL-PROCEDURES

CPT 01924: Anesthesia for Therapeutic Arterial Interventional Radiology Procedures

CPT-01925-ANESTHESIA-THERAPEUTIC-INTERVENTIONAL-RADIOLOGY-CAROTID-CORONARY

CPT 01925: Anesthesia for Therapeutic Interventional Radiology of Carotid/Coronary Arteries

CPT-01926-ANESTHESIA-THERAPEUTIC-ENDOVASCULAR-AORTIC-INTRACRANIAL-INTRACARDIAC

CPT 01926: Anesthesia for Therapeutic Endovascular Procedures Involving Aorta, Intracranial, Intracardiac

CPT-01930-ANESTHESIA-VENOUS-LYMPHATIC-INTERVENTIONAL-RADIOLOGY

CPT 01930: Anesthesia for Venous/Lymphatic Interventional Radiology Procedures

CPT-01931-ANESTHESIA-INTERVENTIONAL-RADIOLOGY-INTRAHEPATIC-PORTAL

CPT 01931: Anesthesia for Therapeutic Interventional Radiology on Liver Circulation

CPT-01932-ANESTHESIA-INTERVENTIONAL-RADIOLOGY-JUGULAR-INTRATHORACIC-VEINS

CPT 01932: Anesthesia for Therapeutic Interventional Radiology of Jugular/Intrathoracic Veins

CPT-01933-ANESTHESIA-INTRACRANIAL-INTERVENTIONAL-RADIOLOGY

CPT 01933: Anesthesia for Intracranial Interventional Radiology

Showing 1–10 of 15

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

OpenPayer

CPT 01937: Anesthesia for Image-Guided Cervical or Thoracic Spine Procedures

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Billing Code Overview

OpenPayer

CPT 01937: Anesthesia for Image-Guided Cervical or Thoracic Spine Procedures

Sign up for cpt 01937 policy alerts

Billing Code Overview

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related ICD-10-CM Codes

Related Codes

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related ICD-10-CM Codes

Related Codes

References

CPT 01937: Anesthesia for Image-Guided Cervical or Thoracic Spine Procedures

Sign up for cpt 01937 policy alerts

Billing Code Overview

CPT 01937: Anesthesia for Image-Guided Cervical or Thoracic Spine Procedures

Sign up for cpt 01937 policy alerts

Billing Code Overview

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related ICD-10-CM Codes

Related Codes

What clinical situation does CPT 01937 cover?

Which procedural and imaging CPT codes are commonly reported with CPT 01937?

Which modifiers are relevant to anesthesia billing for CPT 01937 and when are they used?

Which specialties and taxonomy codes are associated with CPT 01937?

Which payers commonly apply policies to CPT 01937 and how might payer policy affect related billing?

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related ICD-10-CM Codes

Related Codes

What clinical situation does CPT 01937 cover?

Which procedural and imaging CPT codes are commonly reported with CPT 01937?

Which modifiers are relevant to anesthesia billing for CPT 01937 and when are they used?

Which specialties and taxonomy codes are associated with CPT 01937?

Which payers commonly apply policies to CPT 01937 and how might payer policy affect related billing?

References