CPT 01991: Anesthesia for Diagnostic or Therapeutic Nerve Block/Injection
CPT code 01991 denotes anesthesia services provided when an anesthesia professional manages the patient’s anesthetic care while another clinician performs a diagnostic or therapeutic nerve block or injection. This code is specific to procedures performed with the patient in positions other than prone or lying flat, and it captures the anesthesia component distinct from the procedure itself. Nationally, accurate use of this code affects billing clarity between anesthesia and procedural teams and impacts payment and encounter reporting for nerve block services.
Key payers discussed include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, United Healthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of clinical context for anesthesia-provided nerve block support, how this code relates to common procedural scenarios, and its place alongside related injection and nerve block procedure codes. The publication also outlines typical sites of service and common clinical diagnoses associated with nerve block injections, offering clarity for coding, billing, and record classification. Policy and reimbursement benchmarking details are covered to help stakeholders understand coverage patterns and coding alignment across major national payers. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable.
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Billing Code Overview
CPT code 01991 describes anesthesia services provided when a different clinician performs a diagnostic or therapeutic nerve block or injection. The anesthesiologist or anesthesia professional delivers anesthesia care while another provider performs the nerve block or injection procedure. The description specifies that the procedure is performed with the patient not in a prone position or lying flat, indicating positioning other than prone or supine.
Service type: Anesthesia for diagnostic or therapeutic nerve block/injection provided by an anesthesia professional while another clinician performs the procedure.
Typical site of service: Outpatient procedure areas or ambulatory surgery centers and hospital procedure rooms where nerve blocks and injection procedures are performed with the patient in a non-prone position.
National Reimbursement Benchmarks
For CPT 01991 the average commercial benchmark (BUCA) centers near $86.00, with individual payers varying around that midpoint. Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) and UnitedHealth Group sit below BUCA on mean rates ($82.20 and $68.30 respectively), while Aetna and Cigna are above at $96.00 and $105.00. Cigna and Aetna present higher top-end ceilings ($176.80 and $312.40) versus UnitedHealth Group’s lower cap ($122.70), indicating differences in upper-tail settlement for complex cases.
Examining dispersion using the interquartile range (P75–P25) highlights who is tightest and widest: UnitedHealth Group is the tightest with a $31.40 IQR ($81.40–$52.00), BCBS follows with a $29.5 IQR ($104.70–$58.20). Aetna shows the widest IQR at $83.5 ($128.00–$45.00), with Cigna also relatively wide at $61.0 ($139.00–$73.10). BUCA’s IQR is $34.6 ($110.40–$57.40), placing it near the middle of the dispersion spectrum.