Summary & Overview
CPT 0895T: Liver Allograft Connection to Perfusion Device, Initial 4 Hours
CPT code 0895T covers the initial four hours of monitoring and assessment when a provider connects a liver allograft to a perfusion device for organ preservation prior to transplantation. As organ perfusion technology expands, this code captures a distinct peri-procurement service that can affect transplant logistics, billing workflows, and coverage policies nationwide. Major payers considered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare.
Readers will learn what CPT code 0895T represents clinically and operationally, how it fits into transplant service lines and typical sites of service, and which payers are relevant to coverage discussions. The publication outlines benchmarking topics and policy considerations tied to perfusion services, including expected service definitions, billing implications for the initial monitoring interval, and areas where payers may issue guidance. Data not available in the input are flagged where applicable. The summary provides a concise reference for providers, coding professionals, and policy staff who need to understand the code’s scope, typical use, and payer landscape at a national level.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 0895T describes the connection of a liver allograft to an external organ perfusion device to preserve the organ for transplantation. This code represents the first four hours of monitoring and clinical assessments while the liver is maintained on perfusion support.
Service type: Organ preservation and perfusion monitoring
Typical site of service: Hospital operating room, organ procurement facility, or transplant center
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A deceased-donor or living-donor liver allograft has been procured and prepared in the transplant center or organ procurement organization. The transplant surgeon or designated trained provider connects the liver allograft to a normothermic or hypothermic perfusion device in the operating room, organ recovery suite, or specialized preservation laboratory to provide continuous perfusion and monitoring during the pre-transplant preservation window. The procedure covered by 0895T represents the initial four hours of active monitoring and physiologic assessments by the provider after connection to the device. Typical workflow includes organ receipt and inspection, cannulation and connection to the perfusion circuit, initiation of perfusate and temperature control, repeated assessments of flow, pressure, lactate, bile production (when applicable), and documentation of organ viability parameters. Nursing and perfusion technologist support are present; the provider documents interventions, adjustments, and clinical decision points that may affect organ suitability for transplantation. The typical site of service is an operating room, organ procurement facility, or specialized transplant perfusion laboratory. A realistic patient scenario: a 52-year-old with end-stage liver disease is listed for transplant; a compatible donor liver arrives and surgical staff connect the organ to a normothermic perfusion device for preservation and viability assessment during transport and until implantation.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
22 | Increased procedural services | Use when work required to connect and monitor the liver is substantially greater than typical due to complexity or additional documented activities. |
26 | Professional component | Use if billing the physician’s professional interpretation/assessment separate from the facility or perfusion device technical component. |
51 | Multiple procedures | Use when 0895T is reported on the same date as other unrelated procedures and carrier requires indication of multiple procedures. |
52 | Reduced services | Use if the monitoring period or scope is substantially reduced from what 0895T describes and documentation supports reduced services. |
53 | Discontinued procedure | Use if the perfusion connection was attempted but discontinued for documented clinical reasons prior to completion. |
54 | Surgical care only | Use when the surgeon bills only for intraoperative services and another provider bills postoperative care. |
55 | Postoperative management only | Use when a different provider bills for postoperative/perfusion monitoring separate from operative connection. |
62 | Two surgeons | Use when two surgeons of different specialties perform distinct portions of the connection/assessment requiring co-surgery rules. |
78 | Return to OR for related procedure by same physician | Use if the patient/organ requires repeat operative intervention related to the perfusion connection during the postoperative global period. |
80 | Assistant surgeon | Use when an assistant surgeon is appropriate and billed for participation during connection or device procedures. |
81 | Minimum assistant surgeon | Use when a minimum assistant surgeon is documented and billed. |
82 | Assistant surgeon (when qualified resident not available) | Use when an assistant surgeon is required but a resident is not available. |
AS | Ambulatory surgical center facility fee | Use when facility charges from an ASC are billed in conjunction with the service. |
QK | Medical direction of two, three, or four CRNAs | Use when the physician medically directs multiple CRNAs involved in care during the perfusion procedure. |
| Taxonomy Code | Specialty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2080P0400X | Transplant Surgery | Surgeons who perform organ procurement, preparation, and transplantation. |
| 2080P0206X | Hepatology | Specialists involved in candidate selection and perioperative management. |
| 174400000X | Perfusionist | Clinicians/technologists who manage extracorporeal perfusion circuits and devices. |
| 207R00000X | General Surgery | Surgeons who may assist in organ procurement and connection procedures. |
Related Diagnoses
| ICD-10 Code | Description | Clinical Relevance |
|---|---|---|
K72.90 | Hepatic failure, unspecified, without coma | Common indication for liver transplantation; organ perfusion and viability assessment occur prior to implantation. |
K76.6 | Portal hypertension | Advanced liver disease complication frequently seen in transplant candidates. |
K74.60 | Unspecified cirrhosis of liver without ascites | End-stage liver disease that commonly necessitates transplantation and use of organ preservation techniques. |
C22.0 | Liver cell carcinoma | Malignant indications for liver transplant in selected patients; donor organs are perfused and assessed prior to implantation. |
Z94.4 | Liver transplant status | Post-transplant status code used in longitudinal care; relevant to discussions of retransplantation and device use during reimplantation procedures. |
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description | Relationship to This Procedure |
|---|---|---|
32820 | Preparation of cadaveric or living donor lung for transplant, including bronchoscopy and cannulation of pulmonary vasculature (example for thoracic organ procurement) | Related organ procurement procedures; included as an example of donor organ preparation codes performed before or in parallel with organ preservation activities. |
33999 | Unlisted procedure, cardiac or cardiopulmonary bypass (used sometimes for device-related procedures when no specific code exists) | May be used for billing other perfusion/device procedures not described by a specific code when necessary. |
36556 | Insertion of non-tunneled centrally inserted central venous catheter; age 5 years or older | Vascular access procedures performed to manage perfusion fluids, medication administration, or hemodynamic monitoring during organ preparation and transplantation workflow. |
47562 | Donor hepatectomy, liver procurement for transplant (including back table preparation) | Surgical procurement and back-table preparation of the liver performed prior to connection to the perfusion device; directly precedes 0895T. |
50300 | Transplantation of whole cadaver or living related kidney (including donor nephrectomy) | Example of an organ transplant code illustrating related transplant services in multi-organ procurement contexts; performed in similar workflows when multiple organs are procured. |