Documenting Anesthesia Time

[MDEntropy]

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Bright minds out there --- for documentation purposes

When does anesthesia time start?

"Anesthesia time involves the continuous actual presence of the anesthesiologist [or resident etc]"

"Anesthesia time starts when the physician or anesthetist begins to prepare the patient for anesthesia care in the operating room or equivalent area."

So is it...

When you begin to prepare the patient FOR ANESTHESIA [which will take place] in the operating room? So the 5 or 10 minutes before? Lets say you start an IV...maybe give some versed.

Or... When you begin to prepare the patient for anesthesia care [and you are physically] in the operating room?

Also when does anesthesia time end...when you leave the room? Or leave the patient with the PACU nurse?

 

[dfk]

i'm sure it varies with each facility.
for me, it starts 5 minutes before entering the OR, unless i'm doing a block or invasive line.
it ends when i report off to the PACU nurse.

 

[militarymd]

ahh...the mysterious MDEntropy returns.....why the curious question?

I take start time as when the anesthesia provider starts staying with the patient continuously...and ends when you leave.

I'm sure CMS and various commercial insurance companies have their own definitions....and ultimately that's the definition that counts .....because they pay you ...and if you don't follow THEIR rules...they sue you for fraud.

 

[militarymd]

And now I know why you never answered me a while back when I asked what your experience was.....you were just a resident.