Summary & Overview
CPT 59852: Intra‑amniotic Injection, Labor Management, Hysterotomy
CPT code 59852 represents a multi-step, inpatient obstetric surgical procedure used to terminate pregnancies at or beyond 14 weeks gestation. The code captures the global service: hospital admission, intra-amniotic saline injection to induce fetal demise, management of the subsequent labor, performance of a hysterotomy to remove the fetus and placenta, and inpatient follow-up through discharge. This code is clinically important for obstetric departments, surgical teams, and hospital billing offices due to its inpatient resource use, operating room time, and perioperative care intensity.
Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. The publication summarizes how CPT code 59852 is described clinically, how it is typically billed in a hospital inpatient setting, and what operational implications it carries for coding and revenue capture.
Readers will learn the clinical context of the procedure, the typical site and scope of services included under the global code, and the payer landscape relevant to national billing practices. The summary also outlines benchmarks and policy considerations affecting inpatient obstetric surgical coding and documentation practices. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable for deeper benchmarking detail.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 59852 describes a global obstetric surgical procedure in which the provider terminates a pregnancy by injecting a saline solution into the amniotic sac to cause fetal demise, manages the ensuing labor, and performs a hysterotomy to remove the fetus and placenta. The procedure is used for pregnancy termination after the first trimester (fourteen weeks, zero days gestation or more).
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Service type: Surgical obstetric procedure involving intra-amniotic injection, labor management, and surgical removal (hysterotomy).
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Typical site of service: Hospital inpatient setting; the procedure includes patient admission, intra-amniotic injections, intrapartum management, operative hysterotomy, and postoperative inpatient follow-up until discharge.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 28-year-old gravida 2 para 0 patient at 18 weeks, 3 days gestation presents to the labor and delivery unit after multidisciplinary counseling and surgical planning for pregnancy termination by intra-amniotic injection with subsequent hysterotomy. The patient is admitted to the hospital, undergoes preoperative evaluation including labs (CBC, type and screen), fetal assessment and informed consent. Under aseptic technique in the procedure suite or operating room, the obstetrician inserts a needle under ultrasound guidance and injects a hypertonic saline solution into the amniotic sac to induce fetal demise. The provider monitors the patient, manages analgesia and uterine activity, and when labor progresses or if indicated for extraction, performs a hysterotomy to remove the fetus and placenta. Postoperative inpatient care includes monitoring for hemorrhage, infection, pain control, and counseling prior to discharge when stable.
Typical site of service: hospital inpatient — labor and delivery unit and operating room.
Service type: global obstetric surgical procedure that includes intra-amniotic injection, labor management, operative hysterotomy, and postoperative inpatient follow-up until discharge.
Typical patient scenario: second‑trimester termination (≥14 weeks gestation) for fetal demise or other indications where induction with intra-amniotic injection followed by hysterotomy is selected due to uterine, placental, or anatomic considerations.
Coding Specifications
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