Each anesthesia procedure has a base unit value. The base unit value is reflective of the difficulty and skill required for the procedure.  At present, anesthesia for all upper and lower GI procedures have the same base units, reflecting no significant difference in the work of the anesthesia professional in administering anesthesia.  In addition to the base units, anesthesia professionals are reimbursed by the amount of time spent on providing anesthesia for the procedure.

 

The following questions ask your feedback on whether there are potential differences in anesthesia work for certain endoscopy procedures.

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* 1. In your practice, is anesthesia (MAC or General) routinely administered to patients undergoing the following upper GI endoscopy procedures?

  Yes or No
Foreign body removal: 43194, 43215, 43247
Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) procedures: 43231, 43232, 43237, 43238, 43240, 43242, 43253, 43259
ERCP: 43260-43278
Injection of varices: 43204, 43243
Stent: 43212, 43266, 43274, 43276, 44370, 44379
Achalasia dilation: 43214, 43233
Esophageal fundoplasty: 43210

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* 2. Do anesthesia professionals do anything different from a base unit perspective for any of the above procedures compared to all other upper GI endoscopy procedures?

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* 3. Do anesthesia professionals do anything different from a base unit perspective for screening colonoscopy compared to other colonoscopy procedures?

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* 4. Do anesthesia professionals do anything different from a base unit perspective when they know that the patient will undergo an upper and lower endoscopy on the same date of service?

T