A 57-year-old woman with a physical status of 3 received general endotracheal anesthesia for a panniculectomy. The anesthesiologist personally performed the entire anesthesia service.
To code for anesthesia services, we select the correct CPT® anesthesia code based on the procedure, modifiers, and physical status of the patient:
00800 represents "Anesthesia for procedures on the lower abdomen not otherwise specified," which includes procedures like a panniculectomy. The code 00802 is not appropriate here because it is used for lower abdominal procedures involving "major lower abdominal vessels," which does not apply to a panniculectomy.
AA Modifier indicates that the anesthesia services were personally performed by the anesthesiologist, as stated in the scenario.
P3 Modifier reflects a physical status of 3, which indicates a patient with a "severe systemic disease," matching the patient's documented condition.
The emergency modifier 99140 is not appropriate here, as there is no indication that the procedure was performed under emergency conditions.
Thus, the correct answer is 00800-AA-P3.
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