Summary & Overview
CPT 00352: Anesthesia for Simple Ligation of Major Neck Vessels
Headline: CPT 00352: Anesthesia for Simple Ligation of Major Neck Vessels
Lead: CPT 00352 denotes anesthetic services for simple ligation of major neck vessels, a targeted anesthesiology code relevant to vascular and trauma surgery settings. It identifies the specific anesthesia care associated with operative ligation procedures on cervical great vessels, and is commonly billed when airway, hemodynamic, and vascular control considerations are central to intraoperative management.
Why it matters: Nationally, precise use of 00352 supports accurate coding for complex intraoperative risk and resource use associated with vascular neck procedures. Proper code application influences billing alignment, clinical documentation, and payer adjudication for high-acuity anesthetic services.
Key payers: Analysis covers major national commercial plans including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, and UnitedHealthcare.
What readers will learn: The publication provides a concise overview of the clinical context for 00352, coding relationships to other anesthesiology codes for major vessel and cardiac procedures, payer coverage considerations, and commonly associated modifiers and diagnosis links. It also highlights typical sites of service and scenarios where 00352 is the appropriate anesthetic code.
Scope note: Service line metadata is not provided. Data not available in the input where applicable.
CPT Code Overview
CPT 00352 describes anesthesia services provided for procedures on major vessels of the neck involving simple ligation. This code is categorized under Anesthesiology and is typically performed in a hospital operating room (POS 21). The code captures anesthetic management specific to vascular procedures on neck vessels where ligation is the primary intervention.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A patient presents for surgical ligation of a major neck vessel under general anesthesia due to an aneurysm or dissection of the aorta with extension or associated vascular disease requiring control of major cervical vessels. Typical presentation includes acute or chronic aortic pathology such as dissection or aneurysm with symptoms or imaging findings that mandate operative vascular control. The perioperative workflow includes preoperative evaluation by the anesthesiology team (airway assessment, hemodynamic optimization, review of anticoagulation), intraoperative management in the hospital operating room (positioning, invasive monitoring, induction of general anesthesia, endotracheal intubation, arterial line and central venous access as indicated), anesthetic maintenance tailored to vascular stability, communication with the surgical team during vessel exposure and simple ligation, and postoperative handoff to recovery or intensive care for hemodynamic monitoring and pain control.
Coding Specifications
-
Modifiers
-
QS: Monitored anesthesia care service. Use when the anesthesia service is billed as monitored anesthesia care rather than general anesthesia for the procedure. -
QX: CRNA service with medical direction by a physician. Use when a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist provides the anesthesia under the medical direction of an anesthesiologist and billing requires the CRNA modifier to indicate that relationship. -
Associated provider taxonomies
-
207L00000X: Anesthesiology — represents anesthesia providers including anesthesiologists and CRNAs who deliver perioperative anesthesia care for procedures on major vessels of the neck. -
If additional taxonomy or modifier details are required, Data not available in the input.
Related Diagnoses
-
I71.01— Dissection of thoracic aortaClinical relevance: Thoracic aortic dissection can extend to or affect major branch vessels; anesthesia for vessel ligation may be required when branch vessel control is necessary during repair or to manage bleeding.
-
I71.2— Thoracic aortic aneurysm, without ruptureClinical relevance: Aneurysmal disease of the thoracic aorta may involve major vessels and necessitate operative control or ligation as part of treatment or complication management.
-
I71.3— Abdominal aortic aneurysm, rupturedClinical relevance: Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm represents emergent aortic pathology; while anatomically different, anesthesia principles for major vessel control and hemodynamic management are relevant when major vessel ligation is performed.
-
I71.4— Abdominal aortic aneurysm, without ruptureClinical relevance: Elective or urgent aortic aneurysm repair requires anesthetic management for major vessel procedures and may involve ligation of branch vessels in complex cases.
-
I71.9— Aortic aneurysm of unspecified site, without ruptureClinical relevance: Unspecified-site aortic aneurysm denotes aortic pathology that may necessitate anesthesia for major vessel procedures, including simple ligation when indicated.
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description |
|---|---|
00562 | Anesthesia for procedures on heart, pericardial sac, and great vessels of chest; with pump oxygenator |
00566 | Anesthesia for direct coronary artery bypass grafting; with pump oxygenator |
00567 | Anesthesia for direct coronary artery bypass grafting; without pump oxygenator |
00570 | Anesthesia for repair of coarctation of aorta |
Each listed code represents anesthesia services for major thoracic or cardiac vascular procedures that are anatomically or procedurally related to anesthesia care for major vessels. 00562 covers anesthesia when cardiopulmonary bypass with a pump oxygenator is required for great vessel procedures. 00566 and 00567 apply to coronary artery bypass grafting with or without pump oxygenator and may be encountered when concomitant cardiac procedures are performed. 00570 is used for anesthesia for coarctation repair, an alternative major vessel procedure in the thoracic aorta. These codes may be used in the same care episode when the surgical procedure extends beyond simple neck vessel ligation or when alternative operative approaches are selected.
National Reimbursement Benchmarks
National mean commercial rates exceed Medicare when compared to the BUCA (average commercial) benchmark: BUCA’s mean rate is $140.85, while Medicare is not represented in the provided numeric values (Data not available in the input). Among commercial payers, Cigna and Blue Cross Blue Shield record the highest mean rates at $299.28 and $273.41 respectively, with Aetna nearer the middle and UnitedHealth Group substantially lower at $65.62.
Rate dispersion varies notably by payer. Cigna shows the widest spread between the 75th and 25th percentiles (433.00 - 89.00 = $344.00), followed by Aetna (318.36 - 40.00 = $278.36) and BCBS (353.67 - 198.60 = $155.07). UnitedHealth Group is the tightest (75.80 - 50.33 = $25.47). The table and chart below present the full percentile and mean-rate breakdown.
State Benchmarks
State: AK1 / 50
Alaska Benchmarks
Alaska exhibits a wide spread in reimbursement rates for CPT code 00352, with Blue Cross Blue Shield showing the largest range between the 25th and 75th percentiles ($96.90), while Aetna, Cigna, and UnitedHealth Group display minimal spread ($4.00 or less), indicating highly consistent rates for those payers. The mean rates for most payers in Alaska are notably higher than their national averages, especially for Blue Cross Blue Shield and BUCA, highlighting Alaska's elevated reimbursement environment for this code.
The table and chart below present the full breakdown of mean rates and percentile values for each payer in Alaska, allowing for direct comparison across the major commercial insurers and BUCA. This detailed view underscores the significant variation in payment levels and consistency among payers in the state.
Key Insights for Alaska
- Blue Cross Blue Shield is the highest paying payer for CPT 00352 in Alaska, with a mean rate of $330.56.
- UnitedHealth Group offers the lowest mean rate at $75.12.
- Mean rates for most payers in Alaska are significantly higher than their respective national averages, except for Cigna and UnitedHealth Group, which are below national benchmarks.
Trek Health ingests and normalizes Transparency in Coverage data and payer policy updates to give provider organizations a clear view of how commercial reimbursement behaves across markets, payers, and services. Our platform transforms raw payer disclosures into structured intelligence that supports contract evaluation, payer negotiations, and service line strategy. By combining market benchmarks with ongoing policy visibility, Trek helps teams identify variability, risk, and opportunity in commercial reimbursement. The result is faster insight, stronger negotiating positions, and more informed financial decisions.