A fourteen-year-old patient is brought to the Emergency Room by his mother after his foot was caught in the lawnmower blade while mowing the yard. Upon emergent examination, it was determined that reattachment surgery had to be performed immediately on digits T3 and T4 to prevent loss of the digits. The anesthesia provided for this service would be described by the appropriate anesthesia CPT code and qualifying-circumstance modifier:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

99140 is the correct modifier for anesthesia provided under circumstances that are considered unusual, complex, or complicated, such as emergency conditions. In this case, the emergency surgery for reattachment of digits due to an accident with a lawnmower qualifies as such a circumstance.

A Fourteen-Year-Old Patient Is Brought to the Emergency Room by His