Anesthesia Coding Alert

Question: Would you explain the difference between MAC (monitored anesthesia care) and IV sedation? I know we use modifier QS with the anesthesia code for MAC. Should we report both types if our physician indicates IV sedation?

Massachusetts Subscriber

Answer:  Modifier QS (Monitored anesthesia care service) only applies to anesthesia codes (not surgical codes) and does not cross to the moderate sedation codes.

CPT includes six moderate (conscious) sedation codes that differ according to the patient's age and the duration of service. The two primary MAC codes are:

• 99143 -- Moderate sedation services (other than those services described by codes 00100-01999) provided by the [...]
  
  - Published on 2011-12-06