Doctors are raising alarm about insurance company’s plan to put time limit on coverage for anesthesia during surgery

Anesthesiologists are raising alarm about an insurance company’s plan to limit the amount time they cover for anesthesia used in surgeries and procedures. One major professional group of anesthesiologists is calling for immediate reversal of the “unprecedented move,” saying it’s egregious and uninformed.

Anesthesiologists are raising alarm about an insurance company’s plan to limit the amount time they cover for anesthesia used in surgeries and procedures. One major professional group of anesthesiologists is calling for immediate reversal of the “unprecedented move,” saying it’s egregious and uninformed. Starting in February, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance representing Connecticut, New York and Missouri will deny any claims for anesthesia services that exceed specific time limits that have been set for surgeries and procedures. Anthem said the change is part of an effort to make health care more affordable by reducing overbilling for anesthesia. “We at Anthem strive to make health care simpler and more affordable,” the company said in an email to CNN. “One of the ways to achieve that goal is to help ensure that claims are accurately coded, and providers are reimbursed appropriately for the services they provide to members. Improper coding drives healthcare costs higher than they otherwise would be.” The company said that the standards it’s using to determine how long a surgery should last are consistent with industry standards and formulas set by the American Society of Anesthesiologists. Maternity-related care and pediatric services for patients younger than 22 will be excluded from this change, as there is more variability in the time needed for surgeries and procedures for these groups, Anthem said. But the American Society of Anesthesiologists has called for an immediate reversal of this policy, saying that Anthem has set an “arbitrary time limit” on surgeries that threatens individual patient care.