How an Anesthesia Bill is Generated

An anesthesia bill is generated based on three factors: the complexity of the surgical procedure, the duration of the surgical procedure, and the medical complexity of the patient. These measures are reflected in what is called "relative value units". A unit is a 15-minute interval of time or relative value for complexity. The more complex the patient and procedure, or the longer the surgery, the more units are generated for a case. Once the units are generated, this number is multiplied by a conversion factor, which is a dollar value customary to the local area.

Patients may also be charged for other add-on procedures that are actually separate from the basic anesthesia. These procedures would include, but are not limited to the insertion of the arterial line, a swan-ganz catheter, or any other monitoring device that the anesthesiologist feels is necessary to ensure the safety of the patient intraoperatively. There is also a possibility that a surgeon would request that a separate nerve block be placed at the time of anesthesia so that the patient would have extra pain relief after surgery.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For further information on anesthesia charges, patients may call the department's billing company:

Billing Services, Inc.
888.877.3850