Summary & Overview
CPT 00844: Anesthesia for Lower Abdominal Intraperitoneal Procedures
Headline: CPT 00844: Anesthesia for Lower Abdominal Intraperitoneal Procedures, Including Abdominoperineal Resection
Lead: CPT 00844 designates anesthesia services for intraperitoneal procedures in the lower abdomen — specifically abdominoperineal resection — commonly delivered under general anesthesia in hospital operating rooms. The code is central to billing and clinical documentation for complex pelvic and lower abdominal surgeries that require intra-abdominal access.
What this code represents and why it matters: CPT 00844 identifies anesthetic care for major lower abdominal intraperitoneal operations. Accurate use of this code affects clinical workflow, perioperative resource allocation, and claims processing for high-acuity surgical care across the country. It supports consistent reporting for anesthesiology services surrounding substantial intra-abdominal procedures.
Key payers covered: The analysis includes national commercial payers such as Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, and UnitedHealthcare.
Overview of reader takeaways: Readers will gain a clear description of the clinical context for CPT 00844, the typical care setting and service line, and comparisons to adjacent anesthesia codes for lower abdominal intraperitoneal procedures. The publication outlines coding boundaries, common clinical scenarios where this code is applicable, and the payer landscape relevant to institutional and professional billing. It also flags areas where additional documentation or code selection may be relevant. This summary is intended as a concise reference for billing, compliance, and perioperative administrative teams.
CPT Code Overview
CPT 00844 describes anesthesia for intraperitoneal procedures in the lower abdomen, including laparoscopy, specifically for abdominoperineal resection. This code is used for anesthesia services provided in surgical settings where procedures involve the peritoneal cavity of the lower abdomen.
Service Type: Anesthesiology
Typical Site of Service: Hospital inpatient, frequently associated with general anesthesia in an operating room setting.
Data not available in the input.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 62-year-old female is scheduled for an abdominoperineal resection under general anesthesia for a lower intraperitoneal malignancy. Preoperative evaluation in the hospital includes airway assessment, review of past medical history and medications, preoperative labs, and informed anesthesia discussion. In the operating room, standard monitors are applied, intravenous access is confirmed, and general endotracheal anesthesia is induced. Anesthesia is maintained during the laparoscopic and open phases of the abdominoperineal resection with hemodynamic and respiratory management, fluid administration, and analgesic techniques. Postoperative handoff is performed to the recovery unit with a plan for postoperative analgesia and monitoring.
Coding Specifications
-
Modifiers
-
QS: Monitored anesthesia care service — used when the anesthesia service provided is monitored anesthesia care rather than general anesthesia and medical documentation supports MAC. -
QX: CRNA service with medical direction by a physician — used when a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist furnishes the anesthesia service under the medical direction of a physician, meeting documentation and supervision requirements. -
Provider Taxonomies
| Taxonomy Code | Specialty |
|---|---|
207L00000X | Anesthesiology — physician anesthesiologist specialty responsible for anesthesia care and possible medical direction. |
207LA0401X | Anesthesiology Assistant — allied health professional working under anesthesiologist supervision to assist in anesthesia delivery. |
367500000X | Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist — CRNA providing anesthesia services, may work independently or under physician direction depending on setting and payor rules. |
Related Diagnoses
-
H25.9— Unspecified age-related cataractClinical relevance: Cataract diagnoses are ophthalmologic and are not directly related to lower intraperitoneal anesthesia; presence in the list may reflect coexisting conditions in the patient record.
-
H26.9— Unspecified cataractClinical relevance: As with
H25.9, this ophthalmic diagnosis represents a comorbidity that may be present in the medical history but is not an indication for intraperitoneal anesthesia. -
H52.4— PresbyopiaClinical relevance: Visual refractive condition noted as a comorbidity; does not directly affect coding for intraperitoneal anesthesia procedures but may be documented in the preoperative history.
-
H53.8— Other visual disturbancesClinical relevance: Non-specific visual disturbance diagnosis listed as a comorbidity; not an indication for
00844but may appear in the patient problem list. -
H54.8— Legal blindness, as defined in USAClinical relevance: Significant visual impairment documented as a comorbidity; may influence preoperative counseling and perioperative support but is not a direct reason to assign
00844.
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description | Relationship to 00844 |
|---|---|---|
00840 | Anesthesia for intraperitoneal procedures in lower abdomen including laparoscopy; not otherwise specified | Alternative baseline code for lower intraperitoneal anesthesia when no specific procedure like abdominoperineal resection is documented. |
00842 | Anesthesia for intraperitoneal procedures in lower abdomen including laparoscopy; amniocentesis | Procedure-specific alternative used when amniocentesis is the intraperitoneal lower abdominal procedure instead of resection. |
00846 | Anesthesia for intraperitoneal procedures in lower abdomen including laparoscopy; radical hysterectomy | Procedure-specific related code for radical hysterectomy; used instead of 00844 when the primary surgical procedure is radical hysterectomy. |
00848 | Anesthesia for intraperitoneal procedures in lower abdomen including laparoscopy; pelvic exenteration | Related code for more extensive pelvic exenteration procedures; may be used instead of 00844 for that procedure. |
00851 | Anesthesia for intraperitoneal procedures in lower abdomen including laparoscopy; tubal ligation/transection | Alternative for shorter, less extensive procedures such as tubal ligation; may be used instead of 00844 when appropriate. |
Common use: these codes are selected based on the specific intraperitoneal lower abdominal surgical procedure performed. Some are alternatives for less or more extensive procedures and may be chosen instead of 00844 depending on the surgeon's operative report.
National Reimbursement Benchmarks
National commercial averages are substantially higher than the Medicare implied mean presented here for 00844; BUCA (an aggregate commercial benchmark) posts a mean of $212.05 compared with Medicare at $0.00 in the provided input. Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, and Aetna show higher mean allowed rates than BUCA, while UnitedHealth Group reports a much lower mean.
Dispersion measured as the difference between the 75th and 25th percentiles is widest for Cigna (607.50 - 88.00 = $519.50) and relatively wide for BCBS (517.80 - 279.75 = $238.05). The tightest distributions in the input are UnitedHealth Group (75.44 - 50.33 = $25.11) and Aetna (480.00 - 40.00 = $440.00) is wider than BUCA (304.69 - 45.00 = $259.69) but narrower than Cigna. The table and chart below present the full numerical breakdown.
State Benchmarks
State: AK1 / 50
Alaska Benchmarks
Alaska shows a significant spread in reimbursement rates for CPT code 00844, with Blue Cross Blue Shield exhibiting the widest range between the 25th and 75th percentiles ($252.50), while Aetna and UnitedHealth Group have minimal spreads ($0.00 and $4.00, respectively). This indicates that some payers in Alaska maintain consistent rates, while others, particularly Blue Cross Blue Shield and BUCA, have more variable reimbursement structures.
Compared to national averages, most payers in Alaska offer higher mean rates, especially Blue Cross Blue Shield and BUCA, which are notably above their national benchmarks. The table and chart below present the full breakdown of payer-specific rates for Alaska, highlighting these differences and the variability across payers.
Key Insights for Alaska
- Blue Cross Blue Shield is the highest paying payer for CPT 00844 in Alaska, with a mean rate of $485.10.
- UnitedHealth Group offers the lowest mean rate at $75.12.
- Mean rates for most payers in Alaska are higher than their respective national averages, especially for Blue Cross Blue Shield and BUCA.
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.