CPT 01938: Anesthesia for Percutaneous Image-Guided Lumbar/Sacral Spine Procedures

CPT code 01938 describes anesthesia services provided for percutaneous image-guided injection, drainage, or aspiration procedures on the lumbar or sacral spine or spinal cord, representing regional/general anesthesia or monitored anesthesia care for these interventional spine procedures; the service is anesthesia for image-guided spine interventions and the typical site of service is an outpatient interventional radiology suite, ambulatory surgery center, or hospital procedure room where percutaneous spinal injections or drainages are performed.

Customize your policy alerts

Sign up for cpt 01938 policy alerts

Get alerted when payer policies referencing 01938 are released or updated.

Monitor payer policy activity

Receive email alerts as soon as relevant payer policies are published or updated.

Explore openpayer tools

View all tools

CPT 01938: Anesthesia for Percutaneous Image-Guided Lumbar/Sacral Spine Procedures

Customize your policy alerts

Sign up for cpt 01938 policy alerts

Get alerted when payer policies referencing 01938 are released or updated.

Monitor payer policy activity

Receive email alerts as soon as relevant payer policies are published or updated.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 58-year-old patient with chronic low back pain and radiating leg pain presents for a percutaneous, image-guided lumbar epidural steroid injection for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. The patient has a history of lumbar degenerative disc disease and prior conservative care that failed to provide durable relief. The interventional radiology or pain management team reviews imaging (MRI) and the pre-anesthesia assessment, confirms no contraindications (active infection, coagulopathy), and obtains informed consent. On the day of service the anesthesia provider documents airway assessment, ASA physical status, and plan for monitored anesthesia care (MAC) or sedation. Under fluoroscopic or CT guidance the proceduralist advances the needle to the targeted lumbar epidural space, injects contrast for confirmation, then administers steroid and local anesthetic. The anesthesia provider administers sedation or monitored anesthesia, titrates medications for patient comfort, continuously monitors vitals, documents drug dosages and airway interventions, and remains available for immediate management of complications such as hypotension or respiratory depression. The typical site of service is an outpatient ambulatory surgery center or hospital procedure suite, with recovery area observation until discharge criteria are met.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`20610`	Arthrocentesis, aspiration and/or injection; major joint or bursa (e.g., hip, shoulder)	Analogous injection code for non‑spinal joints; sometimes performed in same procedural suite for joint pain management.
`62264`	Injection(s), of diagnostic or therapeutic substance(s) (including anesthetic, antispasmodic, opioid), not including neurolytic agents, including needle or catheter placement, spinal (intrathecal) or epidural, lumbar or sacral; with catheter placement	Related spinal injection technique when catheter placement is required rather than percutaneous single injection.
`62311`	Injection(s), of diagnostic or therapeutic substance(s), including needle or catheter placement, continuous infusion or intermittent bolus, lumbar or sacral epidural; without indwelling catheter	Used for lumbar epidural injections without indwelling catheter; often part of the same therapeutic options.
`77003`	Fluoroscopic guidance for needle placement (e.g., biopsy, aspiration, injection, localization device), imaging supervision and interpretation	Imaging guidance code commonly reported by radiology when fluoroscopy is used during needle placement.
`76942`	Ultrasonic guidance for needle placement (e.g., biopsy, aspiration, injection, localization)	Used when ultrasound guidance is employed for needle placement instead of fluoroscopy or CT.
`99213`	Office or other outpatient visit, established patient, moderate complexity	Typical E/M visit code for pre‑procedure evaluation and follow‑up related to the injection procedure.

Related Modifiers

6 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…
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, …
208800000X	Urology Physician	A urologist manages benign and malignant medical and surgical disorders of the genitourinary system and the adrenal gland. This specialist has compreh…
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…
2278G1100X	General Care Certified Respiratory Therapist	This level of care includes diagnostics testing, therapeutics, monitoring, rehabilitation of patients with disorders of the cardiopulmonary system, as…
292200000X	Dental Laboratory	A commercial laboratory specializing in the construction of dental appliances that conform to a dentist's specifications including the construction of…
207PS0010X	Sports Medicine (Emergency Medicine) Physician	An emergency physician with special knowledge in sports medicine is responsible for continuous care in the field of sports medicine, not only for the …
146E00000X	Community Paramedic	A Community Paramedic is trained in responding to a scene and arranging appointments and transportation to alternate destinations through established …
2278P3800X	Palliative/Hospice Certified Respiratory Therapist	A coordinated plan of care to help dying patients and their families handle the burden of terminal care. Effective secretion management and relief of…

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

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

CPT 01925: Anesthesia for Therapeutic Interventional Radiological Procedures, Carotid or Coronary

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

CPT 01926: Anesthesia for Therapeutic Interventional Radiology Procedures

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

CPT 01930: Anesthesia for Therapeutic Venous/Lymphatic Interventions

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

CPT 01931: Anesthesia for Therapeutic Interventional Radiology on Intrahepatic/Portal Circulation

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

CPT 01932: Anesthesia for Jugular or Intrathoracic Venous Interventional Radiology

CPT-01933-ANESTHESIA-INTRACRANIAL-INTERVENTIONAL-RADIOLOGY

CPT 01933: Anesthesia for Intracranial Venous/Lymphatic 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.

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.

Explore openpayer tools

View all tools

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`20610`	Arthrocentesis, aspiration and/or injection; major joint or bursa (e.g., hip, shoulder)	Analogous injection code for non‑spinal joints; sometimes performed in same procedural suite for joint pain management.
`62264`	Injection(s), of diagnostic or therapeutic substance(s) (including anesthetic, antispasmodic, opioid), not including neurolytic agents, including needle or catheter placement, spinal (intrathecal) or epidural, lumbar or sacral; with catheter placement	Related spinal injection technique when catheter placement is required rather than percutaneous single injection.
`62311`	Injection(s), of diagnostic or therapeutic substance(s), including needle or catheter placement, continuous infusion or intermittent bolus, lumbar or sacral epidural; without indwelling catheter	Used for lumbar epidural injections without indwelling catheter; often part of the same therapeutic options.
`77003`	Fluoroscopic guidance for needle placement (e.g., biopsy, aspiration, injection, localization device), imaging supervision and interpretation	Imaging guidance code commonly reported by radiology when fluoroscopy is used during needle placement.
`76942`	Ultrasonic guidance for needle placement (e.g., biopsy, aspiration, injection, localization)	Used when ultrasound guidance is employed for needle placement instead of fluoroscopy or CT.
`99213`	Office or other outpatient visit, established patient, moderate complexity	Typical E/M visit code for pre‑procedure evaluation and follow‑up related to the injection procedure.

Related Modifiers

6 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…
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, …
208800000X	Urology Physician	A urologist manages benign and malignant medical and surgical disorders of the genitourinary system and the adrenal gland. This specialist has compreh…
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…
2278G1100X	General Care Certified Respiratory Therapist	This level of care includes diagnostics testing, therapeutics, monitoring, rehabilitation of patients with disorders of the cardiopulmonary system, as…
292200000X	Dental Laboratory	A commercial laboratory specializing in the construction of dental appliances that conform to a dentist's specifications including the construction of…
207PS0010X	Sports Medicine (Emergency Medicine) Physician	An emergency physician with special knowledge in sports medicine is responsible for continuous care in the field of sports medicine, not only for the …
146E00000X	Community Paramedic	A Community Paramedic is trained in responding to a scene and arranging appointments and transportation to alternate destinations through established …
2278P3800X	Palliative/Hospice Certified Respiratory Therapist	A coordinated plan of care to help dying patients and their families handle the burden of terminal care. Effective secretion management and relief of…

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

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

CPT 01925: Anesthesia for Therapeutic Interventional Radiological Procedures, Carotid or Coronary

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

CPT 01926: Anesthesia for Therapeutic Interventional Radiology Procedures

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

CPT 01930: Anesthesia for Therapeutic Venous/Lymphatic Interventions

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

CPT 01931: Anesthesia for Therapeutic Interventional Radiology on Intrahepatic/Portal Circulation

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

CPT 01932: Anesthesia for Jugular or Intrathoracic Venous Interventional Radiology

CPT-01933-ANESTHESIA-INTRACRANIAL-INTERVENTIONAL-RADIOLOGY

CPT 01933: Anesthesia for Intracranial Venous/Lymphatic 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 01938: Anesthesia for Percutaneous Image-Guided Lumbar/Sacral Spine Procedures

Sign up for cpt 01938 policy alerts

OpenPayer

CPT 01938: Anesthesia for Percutaneous Image-Guided Lumbar/Sacral Spine Procedures

Sign up for cpt 01938 policy alerts

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

References

CPT 01938: Anesthesia for Percutaneous Image-Guided Lumbar/Sacral Spine Procedures

Sign up for cpt 01938 policy alerts

CPT 01938: Anesthesia for Percutaneous Image-Guided Lumbar/Sacral Spine Procedures

Sign up for cpt 01938 policy alerts

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

What clinical situations does CPT 01938 apply to?

Which anesthesia modifiers are commonly associated with CPT 01938 and when are they used?

What related CPT codes should be considered alongside 01938 for image‑guided lumbar/sacral procedures?

Which provider specialties are typically involved in procedures billed with CPT 01938?

What diagnoses and clinical indications are commonly associated with billing CPT 01938?

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

What clinical situations does CPT 01938 apply to?

Which anesthesia modifiers are commonly associated with CPT 01938 and when are they used?

What related CPT codes should be considered alongside 01938 for image‑guided lumbar/sacral procedures?

Which provider specialties are typically involved in procedures billed with CPT 01938?

What diagnoses and clinical indications are commonly associated with billing CPT 01938?

References