Creating epidural items
Epidural items can be sent with or without other items on the invoice.
Cutting Edge prompts you for duration in minutes when entering long epidural items(18219/18227) to
automatically calculate the correct fee and set the Service Text on the
Extra Details tab, which is required with electronic claims.
For epidurals not associated with surgery/anaesthesia:
For epidurals not associated with surgery/anaesthesia:
* Item 18227 will require duration - the fee is then calculated per 15 minutes.
Consultations performed immediately prior to the implementation of regional blockade for a patient in labour are covered by MBS Item 17680.
For epidurals associated with surgery/anaesthesia, for post op pain relief (can be used in combination):
Consultations performed immediately prior to the implementation of regional blockade for a patient in labour are covered by MBS Item 17680.
For epidurals associated with surgery/anaesthesia, for post op pain relief (can be used in combination):
Also be aware for epidural claims with more than an hours duration, Medicare will not accept a claim with any referral information. You must set a referral override code i.e. Hospital.
NOTE: Medicare often rolls the item for the first hour (18216/18226) into the long epidural item (18219/18227). If both items on the claim are rejected, you can delete the item for the first hour and CE will still calculate the correct total for the long epidural on the one remaining item. Either format is acceptable for electronic claiming and if you find that the epidural claim gets rejected using both items, you can try resubmitting it with just the long epidural item.
Related items
18222 - Top up of an epidural where the period of attendance is 15 minutes or less
18225 - Top up of an epidural where the period of attendance is more than 15 minutes
You can add these items onto the same invoice as the original epidural, adding the start time on the Extra Details tab. We also recommend ticking the NDS box on the top up items to indicate they are separate services.
18230 - Intrathecal or epidural injection of neurolytic substance (not contrast agent) by any route, including transforaminal route
18232 - Intrathecal or epidural injection (including translaminar and transforaminal approaches) of therapeutic substance or substances (anaesthetic, steroid or chemotherapeutic agents
18233 - Epidural injection of blood for blood patch