Summary & Overview
CPT 01962: Anesthesia for Urgent Post-Delivery Hysterectomy
CPT 01962 represents anesthesia services provided for an urgent hysterectomy following delivery, a high-acuity obstetric procedure requiring coordination between surgical and anesthesia teams. Nationally, this code captures situations where emergent or urgent maternal indications after childbirth necessitate immediate hysterectomy, making accurate coding important for clinical documentation, hospital workflow, and payer adjudication. Key payers included in this coverage review are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, and UnitedHealthcare. This publication provides a concise overview of the clinical context for CPT 01962, outlines payer coverage scope, and highlights related billing and coding considerations relevant to anesthesia teams and hospital billing departments. Readers will find: a clear description of the service and typical site of care; a summary of common modifiers and related anesthesia codes for obstetric procedures; guidance on documentation elements tied to urgency and intraoperative management; and a list of related CPT codes that may appear in the same clinical episode. Where specific service line metadata is not provided, the report notes missing elements. Data not available in the input is identified explicitly. This summary is intended for a national audience of clinicians, coders, and revenue-cycle professionals seeking a practical reference to CPT 01962 in obstetric anesthesia practice.
CPT Code Overview
CPT 01962 describes anesthesia for an urgent hysterectomy performed following delivery. This procedure falls under Anesthesia for Obstetric Procedures and is typically provided in an inpatient hospital setting (POS 21). The code denotes anesthesia services specifically associated with an urgent surgical removal of the uterus that occurs after a childbirth event.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 32-year-old woman undergoes an urgent hysterectomy immediately following delivery due to uncontrolled postpartum hemorrhage and uterine rupture. The patient is transported to the operating room from the labor and delivery unit. Anesthesia care is provided in the inpatient hospital setting (POS 21). Preoperative evaluation documents hemodynamic status, airway assessment, and relevant comorbidities. Induction of general endotracheal anesthesia is completed rapidly with invasive monitoring as indicated; intraoperative management includes blood product administration, vasoactive support, and fluid resuscitation. Postoperative handoff is completed to the obstetric intensive care team and inpatient recovery unit for ongoing monitoring.
Coding Specifications
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Modifiers
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QS— Monitored anesthesia care service: Use when monitored anesthesia care (MAC) is reported for obstetric procedures if the service meets MAC criteria and payer policy allows. -
QX— CRNA service with medical direction by a physician: Use when a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) provides the anesthesia service under medical direction by a physician; applies per payer rules for billing and reimbursement. -
Provider Taxonomies
| Taxonomy Code | Specialty |
|---|---|
207L00000X | Anesthesiology — physicians providing general anesthesia, regional anesthesia, and perioperative care |
207LA0401X | Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) — anesthesiologists with subspecialty focus on pain management |
207LP2900X | Pediatric Anesthesiology — anesthesiologists specializing in perioperative care for children |
Related Diagnoses
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I70.203— Unspecified atherosclerosis of native arteries of extremities, bilateral legsThis vascular disease may affect perioperative hemodynamics and vascular access decisions during major obstetric surgery such as urgent hysterectomy.
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I73.9— Peripheral vascular disease, unspecifiedPeripheral vascular disease may influence anesthesia planning, monitoring, and risk assessment in the perioperative period for a patient undergoing hysterectomy after delivery.
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I74.3— Embolism and thrombosis of arteries of the lower extremitiesAcute arterial embolism or thrombosis can complicate perioperative management, anticoagulation considerations, and vascular status assessment in the surgical patient.
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I77.1— Stricture of arteryArterial strictures may impact perfusion and vascular access; relevant to perioperative monitoring and potential need for vascular consultation during complex obstetric surgery.
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I79.8— Other disorders of arteries and arterioles in diseases classified elsewhereAdditional arterial disorders can affect intraoperative management decisions, hemodynamic optimization, and postoperative surveillance following urgent hysterectomy.
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description | Relationship to 01962 |
|---|---|---|
01963 | Anesthesia for cesarean hysterectomy without any labor analgesia/anesthesia care | Alternative or adjacent obstetric anesthesia code for cesarean hysterectomy when labor analgesia/anesthesia context differs from 01962 |
01961 | Anesthesia for cesarean delivery only | Used when only cesarean delivery anesthesia is provided without subsequent hysterectomy; may precede or be replaced by 01962 if hysterectomy becomes necessary |
01960 | Anesthesia for vaginal delivery only | Alternative for vaginal delivery anesthesia; not appropriate if hysterectomy is performed post-delivery |
01965 | Anesthesia for incomplete or missed abortion procedures | Related obstetric anesthesia code for abortion procedures; alternative workflow in non-delivery uterine procedures |
01966 | Anesthesia for induced abortion procedures | Related obstetric anesthesia code for induced abortion; alternative in non-delivery settings |
- Common combinations/alternatives:
01961may be billed when initial anesthesia is for cesarean delivery; if an urgent hysterectomy is then required,01962or01963would be the appropriate hysterectomy-related anesthesia code depending on labor/anesthesia context. Other listed codes represent distinct obstetric anesthesia services and are alternatives based on the procedure performed.
National Reimbursement Benchmarks
National commercial mean rates exceed Medicare-level reimbursement in most cases; BUCA (the aggregate commercial benchmark) has a mean of $171.88 compared with Medicare-level rates shown as not available in the input. The spread between BUCA and higher-paying commercial plans such as Cigna (mean $455.04) highlights that commercial contracting often yields substantially higher mean allowed amounts than baseline Medicare benchmarks.
Dispersion (P75 minus P25) varies notably: Cigna and BCBS show the widest ranges (Cigna: $603.50 range; BCBS: $292.38 range), indicating high variability in allowed amounts. UnitedHealth Group and Aetna exhibit the tightest distributions (UHC: $25.25 range; Aetna: $429.00 range), with UHC particularly concentrated around lower values. The table and chart below present the full percentile breakdown and mean rates for each payer.
State Benchmarks
State: AK1 / 50
Alaska Benchmarks
Alaska displays a wide spread in reimbursement rates for CPT code 01962, with Blue Cross Blue Shield showing the largest range between the 25th and 75th percentiles ($163.15), while Aetna and UnitedHealth Group have minimal spread ($3.00). This indicates substantial variability in payment levels depending on the payer, with some offering consistently low rates and others much higher. Compared to national averages, Alaska's mean rates for Blue Cross Blue Shield and BUCA are notably higher, while Cigna and UnitedHealth Group remain below or close to national benchmarks. The table and chart below present the full breakdown of payer-specific rates for Alaska, highlighting these differences in reimbursement levels.
Key Insights for Alaska
- Blue Cross Blue Shield is the highest paying payer for CPT 01962 in Alaska, with a mean rate of $510.03.
- UnitedHealth Group offers the lowest mean rate at $74.78.
- Alaska's mean rates for most payers, especially Blue Cross Blue Shield and BUCA, are significantly higher than their respective national averages.
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.