New OHIP update: Fall 2023
This fee code is eligible for payment when anaesthetic management is required at the time of a surgical procedure for the emergency relief of acute upper airway obstruction, above the carina, with the exception of choanal atresia.
This fee code should only be claimed in the clinical setting of a life-threatening emergency related to structural upper airway obstruction requiring anaesthetic management at the time of surgery.
E013C is not a “stand-alone” fee code. It is only eligible for payment when claimed in association with a surgical procedure associated with basic anesthesia units.
SPECIAL ANAESTHETIC CONSULTATION
Definition/Required elements of service: A special anaesthetic consultation is rendered when an anaesthesia (01) specialist provides all the appropriate elements of a regular consultation and is required to devote at least fifty (50) minutes of direct contact with the patient exclusive of time spent rendering any other separately billable intervention to the patient. A210 Special anaesthetic consultation ............................................ 163.20
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A no-no from the tariff chair: “No premium codes such as U990 & U995 should ever be billed for elective consults in pre-op. clinic. Period.” Just sayin’.
The new premium anesthesia consult code requires 50 minutes with the patient…”And that’s pretty rare.”
Midwife or Aboriginal Midwife-Requested Anaesthesia Assessment (MAMRAA)
Midwife or Aboriginal Midwife-Requested Anaesthesia Assessment (MAMRAA) is an assessment of a mother or newborn provided by an anaesthesiologist upon the written request of a midwife or aboriginal midwife because of the complex, obscure or serious nature of the patient’s problem and is payable to an anaesthesiologist for such an assessment in any setting. Urgent or emergency requests may be initiated verbally but must subsequently be requested in writing. The written request must be retained on the patient’s permanent medical record. The MAMRAA must include the common and specific elements of a general or specific assessment and the physician must submit his/her findings, opinions and recommendations verbally to the midwife or aboriginal midwife and in writing to both the midwife or aboriginal midwife and the patient’s primary care physician, if applicable. Maximum one MAMRAA per patient per anaesthesiologist per pregnancy. A816 Midwife or Aboriginal Midwife-Requested Anaesthesia Assessment (MAMRAA)..................................................... 106.80