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    OpenPayerBilling CodesPulmonary Diagnostic Testing and TherapiesCPT cpt-94645-prolonged-inhalation-aerosol-therapy-acute-airway-obstruction
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    CPT 94645: Continued Inhalation Aerosol Treatment for Acute Airway Obstruction

    Medicare pays $17 on average nationally for this procedure.

    CPT code 94645 describes continued administration of inhalation aerosol medication for treatment of acute airway obstruction for each additional hour of therapy; this is a procedural service for prolonged inhalation aerosol treatment provided in acute care settings such as the emergency department, hospital inpatient units, or observation services where continuous aerosol delivery is required to relieve acute bronchospasm or airway compromise.

    For related coverage guidance, see recent payer policy updates: Home Non-Invasive Positive Pressure Ventilation (NIPPV) Devices for Respiratory Insufficiency and Failure, Bronchial Valves, Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Endothelin Receptor Antagonists.

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    Table of contents

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    Clinical & Coding Specifications

    Clinical Context

    A typical patient is an adult with acute bronchospasm from asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) presenting to the emergency department or inpatient unit with progressive respiratory distress despite initial nebulized therapy. The patient arrives tachypneic with audible wheeze, increased work of breathing, and oxygen saturation trending downward on room air. Initial management includes assessment, supplemental oxygen, continuous monitoring, and administration of inhaled bronchodilator therapy (eg, nebulized albuterol with or without ipratropium). When improvement is incomplete and the treating clinician determines that prolonged continuous aerosolized bronchodilator therapy is required to reverse acute airway obstruction, the provider initiates or continues inhalation aerosol treatment beyond the first hour and documents ongoing medication delivery and clinical response.

    Workflow steps:

    • Triage and initial assessment, vital signs, pulse oximetry, and focused respiratory exam.

    • Initiation of standard nebulized bronchodilator(s) with documentation of response over the first 30–60 minutes.

    • Decision to continue continuous nebulization for an additional hour due to persistent bronchospasm or worsening airflow obstruction; initiation of continuous aerosol delivery and documentation of medication, rate, and monitoring.

    • Ongoing reassessment during the additional hour(s) including respiratory status, oxygenation, heart rate, and response to therapy; documentation supports use of 94645 for each additional hour of continuous inhalation aerosol therapy for acute airway obstruction.

    • Transition to intermittent therapy, escalation to noninvasive ventilation, or admission to an observation or inpatient bed depending on response.

    Typical site of service: Emergency department, observation unit, hospital inpatient unit, or intensive care unit.

    Typical service type: Continuous therapeutic inhalation aerosol treatment for acute airway obstruction (critical therapeutic procedure billed per additional hour using 94645).

    Related CPT Codes

    CPT CodeDescriptionRelationship to This Procedure
    94640Pressurized or non-pressurized inhalation treatment for acute airway obstruction; initial nebulizer treatmentOften billed for the initial nebulized treatment session prior to continuing to additional hours billed with 94645.
    94644Continuous inhalation treatment for acute airway obstruction; first hourRepresents the first hour of continuous inhalation aerosol therapy; 94645 is used for each additional hour beyond the first.
    94664Demonstration and/or evaluation of patient utilization of an aerosol generator, nebulizer, metered dose inhaler or IPPB deviceMay be provided for patient education on device use during or after acute therapy.
    99281–

    Related Modifiers

    9 rows

    ModifierDescriptionWhen to Use
    25CPT modifier 25 indicates that on the same day as another procedure or service, the same physician or other qualified health care professional provided a significant, separately identifiable…- When to apply: Use modifier 25 only on an E/M code to indicate the same provider delivered a significant, separately identifiable E/M service on the same day as another procedure or service — i.e.,…
    52Modifier ‑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…
    53Modifier 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…
    59Modifier 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…
    76Modifier -76, Repeat Procedure or Service by Same Physician or Other Qualified Health Care Professional, is appended when the same provider performs an identical, medically necessary procedure or…- Use modifier -76 when the same physician or other qualified health care professional performs an identical procedure or service a second (or subsequent) time on the same date of service and the…
    78CPT 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…
    22Modifier –22 (Increased Procedural Services) is used when a reported procedure is substantially more extensive than normally required. The CPT Manual and CMS state it may be appended only when the…- When to use: Append modifier -22 to a procedural CPT code when the service performed is substantially more extensive than the usual service described by that code — i.e., the procedure required…
    23Modifier -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…
    24Modifier 24 denotes an unrelated evaluation and management (E/M) service performed by the same physician or qualified healthcare professional during a postoperative global period. Per CPT guidance,…- Use modifier 24 when you report an evaluation and management (E/M) service performed by the same physician or same-specialty group during a procedure’s postoperative global period that is unrelated…

    Related Provider Taxonomies

    8 rows

    Taxonomy CodeSpecialtyNotes
    207RC0000XCardiovascular Disease PhysicianAn internist who specializes in diseases of the heart and blood vessels and manages complex cardiac conditions such as heart attacks and life-threaten…
    2084P0800XPsychiatry PhysicianA Psychiatrist specializes in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders, emotional disorders, psychotic disorders, mood disorders, …
    208D00000XGeneral Practice PhysicianA physician who specializes in the general practice of diagnosing, treating, and managing patients with a variety of illnesses and conditions.
    207L00000XAnesthesiology PhysicianAn anesthesiologist is trained to provide pain relief and maintenance, or restoration, of a stable condition during and immediately following an opera…
    207K00000XAllergy & Immunology PhysicianAn allergist-immunologist is trained in evaluation, physical and laboratory diagnosis, and management of disorders involving the immune system. Select…
    246YR1600XRegistered Record AdministratorNone
    207SG0207XMedical Biochemical GeneticsA medical biochemical geneticist specializes in the diagnosis, evaluation, prevention, and treatment of patients with biochemical genetic disorders, d…
    207WX0110XPediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Specialist Physician PhysicianAn ophthalmologist who specializes in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus management. The subspecialty includes the medical and surgical management…

    Related Payer Policy Updates

    Specialty: Pulmonology1 / 2

    9 rows

    PolicyPayerEffective Date
    Home Non-Invasive Positive Pressure Ventilation (NIPPV) Devices for Respiratory Insufficiency and Failureuniverahealthcare2026-10-15
    Bronchial Valvesblue cross blue shield - louisiana2026-09-01
    Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Endothelin Receptor AntagonistsCigna2026-08-15
    Airway Clearance DevicesCareSource2026-08-01
    IL-5 Inhibitors (reslizumab, benralizumab, mepolizumab, depemokimab) coverage and site-of-service criteriaPremera Bluecross2026-08-01
    Inhaled Nitric Oxide Therapy (for Idaho Only)UnitedHealthcare2026-08-01
    Prior Authorization — Pulmonary Hypertension Agents (PAH, CTEPH, PH-ILD)Colorado Rocky Mountain Health Plans2026-08-01
    Advanced Therapies for Pharmacological Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial HypertensionPremera Bluecross2026-08-01
    IL-5 Inhibitors (Cinqair, Fasenra, Nucala, Exdensur) coveragePremera Bluecross2026-08-01

    Related Codes

    CPT-94010-DIAGNOSTIC-SPIROMETRY-VITAL-CAPACITY-EXPIRATORY-FLOW

    CPT 94010: Spirometry with Vital Capacity and Expiratory Flow

    CPT-94011-PEDIATRIC-FORCED-EXPIRATORY-FLOW-TEST-INFANTS

    CPT 94011: Infant/Child Forced Expiratory Flow Pulmonary Test

    CPT-94012-PEDIATRIC-FORCED-EXPIRATORY-FLOW-BRONCHODILATION

    CPT 94012: Infant/Child Forced Expiratory Flow with Bronchodilation

    CPT-94013-INFANT-CHILD-PULMONARY-FUNCTION-TEST

    CPT 94013: Pulmonary Function Test for Infant/Child Up to Age 2

    CPT-94014-REMOTE-SPIROMETRY-30-DAY-HOME-MONITORING

    CPT 94014: Home Serial Spirometry Monitoring, 30-Day

    CPT-94015-HOME-SPIROMETRY-30-DAY-TECHNICAL-COMPONENT

    CPT 94015: 30-Day Remote Spirometry, Technical Component

    CPT-94016-HOME-SPIROMETRY-PROFESSIONAL-INTERPRETATION-30-DAY

    CPT 94016: Ambulatory Daily Spirometry, Professional Interpretation

    CPT-94060-SPIROMETRY-BRONCHODILATOR-RESPONSIVENESS-TEST

    CPT 94060: Spirometry with Bronchodilator Response Testing

    CPT-94070-BRONCHIAL-PROVOCATION-TEST-SPIROMETRY

    CPT 94070: Bronchoprovocation with Spirometry

    CPT-94150-TOTAL-VITAL-CAPACITY-MEASUREMENT

    CPT 94150: Total Vital Capacity Measurement

    Showing 1–10 of 48

    Frequently Asked Questions

    References

    1. 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. 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. 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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    99285
    Emergency department evaluation and management services, levels 1–5
    An ED E/M code is reported for the initial evaluation that led to initiation of continuous inhalation therapy; use of 25 modifier may be required if billed same day as 94644/94645.
    31500Intubation, endotracheal, emergency procedurePerformed if airway compromise progresses and invasive airway management is required after or during attempted continuous aerosol therapy.