Summary & Overview
CPT 01920: Anesthesia for Cardiac Catheterization and Coronary Angiography
CPT 01920 denotes anesthesia services for cardiac catheterization procedures, specifically coronary angiography and ventriculography. This code is central to billing anesthetic support for invasive cardiac imaging used in diagnosis and management of coronary and ventricular disease. Nationally, accurate use of 01920 matters because it affects facility and professional billing alignment, anesthesia resource allocation in catheterization suites, and claims processing for high-acuity cardiovascular procedures.
Key payers referenced include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, and UnitedHealthcare. Readers will find a concise explanation of the clinical context for 01920, common place-of-service settings, and how this code relates to other anesthesia and radiology procedure codes. The publication outlines common ICD-10 diagnoses typically associated with the service, common modifiers and related CPT codes for contextualization, and the provider specialties most likely involved.
The content provides benchmarks and policy-relevant points about coding relationships and procedural context rather than payer-specific reimbursement figures. Where detailed service-line data or local policy differences are required, it notes when information is not available in the input provided. This summary equips billing managers, anesthesiologists, and cardiology practice administrators with a national overview of 01920 for operational and coding reference.
CPT Code Overview
CPT 01920 describes anesthesia for cardiac catheterization including coronary angiography and ventriculography. This code is used when anesthesia services are provided to facilitate invasive cardiac catheter-based diagnostic procedures that include visualization of the coronary arteries and ventricular function.
Service type: Anesthesia for Radiological Procedures
Typical site of service: Radiology or cardiac catheterization lab (typically Hospital Outpatient Department or Ambulatory Surgical Center)
Data not available in the input.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is an adult with known or suspected coronary artery disease who is scheduled for cardiac catheterization with coronary angiography and ventriculography in a hospital outpatient department or an ambulatory surgery center radiology/catheterization lab. The patient often presents with chest pain, exertional angina, or abnormal noninvasive testing and has comorbid cardiovascular conditions such as atherosclerotic coronary disease, heart failure, prior myocardial infarction, or atrial fibrillation. The clinical workflow includes pre-anesthesia assessment by the anesthesia team, transport to the catheterization lab or radiology suite, placement of standard monitors and IV access, administration of monitored anesthesia care or general anesthesia as indicated, intra-procedural management during fluoroscopic coronary angiography and ventriculography, and immediate post-procedure recovery and monitoring before discharge or transfer to a higher level of care.
Coding Specifications
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Modifiers
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QS: Indicates Monitored Anesthesia Care (MAC) provided. Use when MAC services are furnished for the cardiac catheterization procedure covered by01920. -
Associated Provider Taxonomies
| Taxonomy Code | Specialty |
|---|---|
207L00000X | Anesthesiology |
207RC0000X | Cardiovascular Disease Physician |
207RA0000X | Cardiac Anesthesiologist |
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Notes
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Use the
207L00000Xtaxonomy for board-certified or credentialed anesthesiologists providing anesthesia services. -
Use the
207RA0000Xtaxonomy for anesthesiologists with cardiac subspecialty practice providing anesthesia specifically for cardiac catheterization. -
Use the
207RC0000Xtaxonomy to identify the cardiology team performing the catheterization; anesthesia coding remains tied to the anesthesia provider's services.
Related Diagnoses
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I25.10— Atherosclerotic heart disease of native coronary artery without angina pectoris- Clinically relevant as an indication for coronary angiography to assess coronary anatomy and plan revascularization.
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I20.9— Angina pectoris, unspecified- Indicates ischemic chest pain prompting diagnostic coronary angiography and ventriculography to evaluate coronary lesions and ventricular function.
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I21.9— Acute myocardial infarction, unspecified- Represents acute coronary syndrome where emergent or urgent cardiac catheterization and angiography are performed for diagnosis and possible intervention.
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I50.9— Heart failure, unspecified- Heart failure may prompt ventriculography during catheterization to quantify ventricular function and guide management.
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I48.91— Unspecified atrial fibrillation- Atrial fibrillation is a common comorbidity influencing peri-procedural anesthesia planning and anticoagulation management during cardiac catheterization.
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description |
|---|---|
01916 | Anesthesia for diagnostic arteriography/venography |
01922 | Anesthesia for non‑invasive imaging/radiation therapy |
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01916is related as an anesthesia code used for vascular diagnostic arteriography or venography procedures; it may be used in workflows where diagnostic peripheral or cerebral angiography is performed instead of or in addition to coronary angiography. -
01922covers anesthesia for non-invasive imaging or radiation therapy; it is an alternative code when anesthesia is provided for non-invasive cardiac imaging rather than invasive catheter-based coronary angiography. -
01916and01922may be used as alternatives depending on the specific imaging/vascular procedure performed.01920is specific to anesthesia for cardiac catheterization with coronary angiography and ventriculography and is commonly selected when those invasive cardiac procedures are performed.
National Reimbursement Benchmarks
National mean commercial rates exceed Medicare and average commercial (BUCA) levels: Medicare mean is not provided in the input, while the average commercial benchmark (BUCA) mean is $196.14, compared with higher mean rates for Aetna ($300.94), Blue Cross Blue Shield ($341.68), and Cigna ($403.31). UnitedHealth Group has a substantially lower commercial mean at $65.59. The table and chart below present the full breakdown.
Rate dispersion (P75 minus P25) is widest for Cigna (608.00 - 88.67 = $519.33) and Aetna (496.00 - 40.00 = $456.00), indicating greater variability in paid amounts. The tightest distributions are seen with UnitedHealth Group (75.33 - 50.25 = $25.08) and Blue Cross Blue Shield (424.00 - 257.43 = $166.57). The table and chart below present the full breakdown.
State Benchmarks
State: AK1 / 50
Alaska Benchmarks
Alaska exhibits a substantial rate spread for CPT code 01920, particularly among commercial payers. Blue Cross Blue Shield shows the widest spread, with a 75th percentile rate of $611.81 and a 25th percentile rate of $372.00, resulting in a difference of $239.81. In contrast, Aetna, Cigna, and UnitedHealth Group display minimal spreads, with their 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile rates clustered closely together. This indicates that reimbursement variability is primarily driven by Blue Cross Blue Shield and BUCA in Alaska.
Compared to national averages, Alaska's mean rates for most payers are notably higher, especially for Blue Cross Blue Shield and BUCA. The table and chart below present the full breakdown of payer-specific reimbursement rates for CPT code 01920 in Alaska.
Key Insights for Alaska
- Blue Cross Blue Shield is the highest paying payer for CPT 01920 in Alaska, with a mean rate of $480.84.
- UnitedHealth Group offers the lowest mean rate at $74.78.
- Mean rates for most payers in Alaska are significantly 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.