Fee for Intraop TEE

[apma77]

Does anyone know how much the anesthesiologist who has advanced certification in TEE can charge for a fully documented TEE exam??
i havent seen these figures and was wondering if its worth the money to get the advanced training

thanks

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Stimulate]

Does anyone know how much the anesthesiologist who has advanced certification in TEE can charge for a fully documented TEE exam??
i havent seen these figures and was wondering if its worth the money to get the advanced training

thanks

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/417254_4

It looks to be between $250-300 according to this article and from what I have heard from the cardiac guys. Perhaps we will get some further clarification from them. I think you can bill separately for probe placement and interpretation as well.

Cardiac anesthesia is very much under-reimbursed in my opinion...you can earn far more doing rapid turnover ASA I cases in an ambulatory center. Guys and gals who do cardiac anesthesia fellowships probably do it more for the challenge and love of the field than gaining the ability to bill for TEE.

Keep in mind that there are pressures to bundle TEE into the overal surgical /anesthesia fee and/or cut anesthesiologists out of the loop. So far I think SCA has been able to fight this off though...

 

[apma77]

$200-300 seems like chump change and not worth the liability!

 

[sevo85288]

Does anyone know how much the anesthesiologist who has advanced certification in TEE can charge for a fully documented TEE exam??
i havent seen these figures and was wondering if its worth the money to get the advanced training

thanks

I use the code 93318 or 93312 for intraop TEE, with full exam, documentation, etc. They are valued at 6 units. The value of the unit is dependent on the type of insurance. Medicare will only reimburse around $18/unit. Some private payers will pay around $50/unit. It is not a money maker.

 

[UTSouthwestern]

Not worth it for the money. Get it if you want the extra knowledge and insight it would give you.

For a high volume practice with 1500+ hearts and a 40% private insurance/Medicare ratio, you are looking at around $250-$300K so that is definitely worth training and billing for. If you are only doing it sporadically, then aside from your lack of experience, it is likely not something worth pursuing.

 

[johankriek]

Not worth it for the money. Get it if you want the extra knowledge and insight it would give you.

For a high volume practice with 1500+ hearts and a 40% private insurance/Medicare ratio, you are looking at around $250-$300K so that is definitely worth training and billing for. If you are only doing it sporadically, then aside from your lack of experience, it is likely not something worth pursuing.

not to mention the test costs 800 dollars

 

[UTSouthwestern]

not to mention the test costs 800 dollars

The test actually wasn't that bad. Read Perrino and one of the other small guides and the basic echo physics book and you can pass the test.

The San Diego conference is the big money expense: $4,000 with registration, hotel, and incidentals.