Title: Regional Nerve Block and General Anesthesia
Current Effective Date: November 6, 2015
DESCRIPTION
Regional nerve blocks are a form of pain management lasting 10 to 12 hours depending on the technique. A regional nerve block is placed preoperative or postoperatively for postoperative pain control to decrease the need for narcotics and patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) machines. Regional Nerve Block and General Anesthesia Page 2 of 10 Current Procedural Terminology © American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved. Contains Public Information
POLICY
A. A regional nerve block will be allowed preoperatively for pain control along with general anesthesia for the following:
- Shoulder surgeries (arthroscopic or otherwise) that involve cutting or drilling of the bone including placement of suture anchors.
- Knee surgeries – ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), Fulkerson, High Tibial Osteotomy, and Total knee replacement, repair, or revision.
B. A regional nerve block will not be allowed preoperatively for pain control along with general anesthesia for the following:
- Diagnostic arthroscopic shoulder surgery that does not involve cutting or drilling of the bone or placement of suture anchors
- Knee surgeries not listed above
- All other surgeries not listed
C. A regional nerve block will be allowed postoperatively for pain control following general anesthesia for any condition.
D. A regional nerve block would be appropriate for both inpatient and outpatient settings.
DOCUMENTATION
The medical record must indicate when the regional nerve block was done.
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Editor: Philip Blann (pblann@anesthesiabilling.com).
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