Important changes are in store for anesthesia providers in 2020 and 2021. A preview of the MPFS Final Rule is out and it reveals some surprising provisions. This article is meant to provide an initial take on the most relevant items pertaining to our clients.Do you ever get the feeling that things are going along a little too well? At least as it c...

Ultrasound in support of post-operative pain blocks is still billable, but are providers doing all that is required? Today's alert provides a reminder of what they must document in order to be paid.If you had mentioned the word "ultrasound" to teenagers back in the 1960s, I suspect they would have thought you were referring to the psychedelic groov...

Summary The specialty of anesthesiology is focused on a dual challenge to address patient pain but reduce the use of opioids. Nerve blocks are being seen as playing an important in addressing these objectives. New codes for TAP blocks have been introduced. Adoption of them is slower than expected but the potential may be significant.In 2015 CPT ad...

Summary In an era of increasingly challenging negotiations between anesthesia practices and hospital administrators over subsidy requirements, it is becoming more difficult to justify additional financial support. Two issues that keep coming to the fore are operating room utilization and provider productivity. This study of shoulder cases puts the...

Summary The ASA Guide has been slightly revised with regard to the two codes listed below. We wanted to make sure everyone was aware. The 2019 ASA Relative Value Guide(RVG) includes minor revisions for two codes that can be billed as adjunct services for an anesthetic. One, 99116, describes anesthesia complicated by the utilization of total body ...