CPT Code 01444: Popliteal artery repair anesthesia

Key Takeaways

CPT Code 01444 covers anesthesia for procedures on arteries of the knee and popliteal area — specifically popliteal excision and graft or repair for occlusion or aneurysm. It is not a lower-leg catch-all code

CMS assigns 8 base units to CPT 01444; reimbursement is calculated as (Base Units + Time Units + Qualifying Circumstances) x Conversion Factor

CPT 01440, not 01444, is the “not otherwise specified” code in this arterial sub-group — the true lower-leg, ankle, and foot anesthesia section is a separate range that starts at CPT 01462

Pabau’s claims management software helps anesthesia practices track CPT 01444 documentation, start/stop times, and modifier usage to reduce claim errors

Anesthesia billing denials often trace back to one of three places: the wrong modifier, a missing start/stop time, or a base unit value pulled from memory rather than the current CMS Physician Fee Schedule. CPT Code 01444 adds a fourth, less obvious failure point: code identity.

It’s a specific vascular anesthesia code for popliteal artery excision and graft or repair when a patient has an occlusion or aneurysm. It’s frequently confused with the “not otherwise specified” code that sits one code lower in the same arterial sub-group, CPT 01440. Getting the code’s identity and base units right matters before the reimbursement math even starts.

CPT Code 01444: Definition and clinical description

Long description: Anesthesia for procedures on arteries of knee and popliteal area; popliteal excision and graft or repair for occlusion or aneurysm.

Short description: Anesthesia, popliteal artery excision/graft, occlusion or aneurysm.

CPT Code 01444 sits within the 01320-01444 range, which covers anesthesia for procedures on the knee and popliteal area. Within that range, CPT 01440, 01442, and 01444 form a smaller arterial sub-group.

CPT 01444 is the specific code for a popliteal excision and graft or repair performed to treat an arterial occlusion or aneurysm — it is not a general lower-leg catch-all.

The “not otherwise specified” code for arterial procedures in this sub-group is CPT 01440, and CPT 01442 is reserved for a popliteal thromboendarterectomy. Surgeons trigger CPT 01444 for popliteal artery excision, bypass grafting, or aneurysm resection in the knee/popliteal segment — not for tendon repairs, fasciotomies, or podiatric procedures below the ankle.

There is no single “lower leg, below the knee, not otherwise specified” code inside the 01320-01444 range. The anesthesia section covering the lower leg, ankle, and foot is a separate range that begins at CPT 01462.

Coders billing a genuinely below-knee procedure should look there, not in the knee and popliteal area range. Using a knee/popliteal code for a below-knee procedure is a documentation-anatomy mismatch that payer edits are increasingly built to catch.

According to the American Medical Association (AMA), which maintains the CPT code set, anesthesia codes in this range describe the anesthesia service itself, not the surgical procedure. A separate surgical CPT code is always billed alongside CPT Code 01444 — typically a popliteal artery excision, bypass graft, or aneurysm repair code from the surgery section.

Base units and the anesthesia reimbursement formula for CPT Code 01444

CMS assigns 8 base units to CPT Code 01444, reflecting the complexity of a popliteal excision and graft or repair for occlusion or aneurysm rather than a routine, less invasive procedure.

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Relative Value Guide (RVG) may assign a different base unit value. Always confirm which payer you are billing and whether they follow CMS or ASA base units before submitting a claim.

Anesthesia reimbursement does not follow the standard work/practice expense/malpractice RVU formula used for most physician services. Instead, it uses a dedicated formula:

The worked example above uses a 60-minute case with no qualifying circumstances at the 2026 national non-APM conversion factor. A 90-minute procedure (6 time units) would yield (8 + 6 + 0) x $20.4976 ≈ $286.97 before geographic adjustment. Use the FastRVU 2026 lookup tool to verify current locality-adjusted conversion factors for your billing area.

Anesthesia billing workflows that capture exact procedure start and stop times reduce time unit calculation errors, which are among the most common reasons for underpayment on CPT Code 01444 claims.

Practices that track coaching CPT codes and anesthesia codes alongside structured documentation see fewer discrepancies between charted time and billed units.

2026 Medicare fee schedule for CPT Code 01444

Medicare anesthesia payment is calculated per the formula above rather than through a fixed fee schedule rate. The conversion factor is the key variable: CMS updates it annually, and locality adjustments (geographic practice cost indices, or GPCIs) apply on top of the national rate.

For 2026, CMS finalized a national anesthesia conversion factor of $20.4976 for most anesthesiologists and CRNAs, and $20.5998 for clinicians who are qualifying participants in an Advanced Alternative Payment Model (APM). Both figures work out to roughly $20.50 per unit, per the CMS 2026 Physician Fee Schedule final rule.

Rates shift each January 1, and the locality-adjusted rate can vary between high-cost localities (Manhattan, San Francisco) and lower-cost rural areas. Always use the locality-specific rate for the practice location where anesthesia was administered.

Verify it directly through the current CMS Physician Fee Schedule lookup rather than an older reference that may cite an outdated conversion factor.

Anesthesia is almost always billed in a facility setting. Non-facility rates are rarely applicable, but confirm with your MAC if performing anesthesia in an office-based surgical suite.

Payer contracts for commercial insurers may set a different conversion factor than Medicare’s published rate, so contract-specific rates should be tracked separately from Medicare billing. The same principle applies across IVF CPT codes and other time-based anesthesia billing: connecting a live fee schedule reference reduces the risk of submitting claims based on an outdated conversion factor.

Anesthesia modifiers used with CPT Code 01444

Modifier selection is not optional for anesthesia claims. CMS requires a modifier on every anesthesia claim to indicate who performed the service and at what level of supervision. Submitting CPT Code 01444 without the appropriate modifier will result in a claim rejection from most payers.

When modifier AD applies, Medicare payment is limited to three base units for the supervising anesthesiologist’s claim. The CRNA bills separately under QX. Incorrect modifier pairings between the directing physician (QK) and the supervised CRNA (QX) are a frequent audit trigger.

Practices billing in multi-provider anesthesia teams should document the exact supervision structure in the anesthesia record before claim submission. HIPAA-compliant documentation practices that capture provider roles at the point of care help maintain an audit trail for modifier accuracy.

Vascular surgery and surgical specialty practices often encounter these modifier decisions most frequently when anesthesia is billed alongside arterial bypass, excision, or aneurysm repair procedures.

Patients recovering from a popliteal artery repair frequently move into post-operative physical therapy, so coordinating documentation between the surgical and rehab record matters for continuity of care.

ICD-10 codes commonly billed with CPT Code 01444

CPT Code 01444 requires a supporting ICD-10-CM diagnosis code to justify medical necessity. The diagnosis code must reflect the vascular condition driving the popliteal artery procedure, not the anesthesia service itself. The following are among the most frequently paired ICD-10 codes for popliteal artery occlusion and aneurysm repair.

Code selection should reflect the specific laterality (right vs. left), the clinical severity (rest pain, claudication, or acute limb-threatening ischemia), and the exact anatomical site documented in the operative note.

Payers increasingly use automated edits to flag claims where the diagnosis code’s anatomical site does not match the surgical procedure being billed. Laterality mismatches between the ICD-10 code and the surgical procedure are a common denial pattern.

Superficial venous sclerotherapy, billed under CPT 36471, falls outside this anesthesia code entirely since it typically uses local rather than general or regional anesthesia.

Documentation requirements for CPT 01444 claims

CMS requires specific documentation elements to support a CPT Code 01444 claim. A missing pre-anesthesia evaluation or absent start/stop times are two of the most common documentation deficiencies identified in anesthesia audits. The checklist below reflects standard Medicare anesthesia documentation requirements.

• Pre-anesthesia evaluation: Documented assessment of the patient’s ASA physical status classification and anesthetic risk before surgery begins
• Anesthesia start time: The moment the anesthesiologist or CRNA begins preparing the patient for induction (not incision time)
• Anesthesia stop time: When the patient is released from anesthesia provider care, typically in the PACU
• Provider credentials: Documentation of who administered anesthesia and the supervision arrangement (links to modifier selection)
• Anesthesia record: Continuous recording of vital signs, agents administered, dosages, and interventions throughout the procedure
• ICD-10 diagnosis code: The vascular condition (occlusion or aneurysm) justifying the procedure, documented in the operative note and matching the diagnosis on the claim
• Post-anesthesia evaluation: Patient status assessment within 48 hours of the procedure for inpatient cases

Practices that use digital intake forms reduce the risk of incomplete anesthesia records by prompting providers to capture required fields at the point of care.

The same structured approach to procedure-linked documentation that works well for screening codes applies equally to anesthesia. Linking the CPT code to its required documentation fields in the EHR or practice management system before submission catches errors before they become denials.

Track CPT 01444 documentation in one place

Pabau's claims management tools help anesthesia and vascular surgery practices capture start/stop times, link modifiers to provider records, and reduce documentation-related denials. See how it works for your practice.

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CPT 01440 vs CPT 01442 vs CPT 01444: Choosing the right arterial code

Coders regularly work with all three codes in the arterial sub-group of the knee and popliteal area range, and mixing them up is one of the most common CPT 01444 errors.

All three carry 8 CMS base units, so the reimbursement math looks identical no matter which one is billed. The code choice still has to match the exact procedure documented in the operative note.

Use this decision order to pick the right code:

• If the operative note documents a thromboendarterectomy (plaque or clot removal from the popliteal artery), use CPT 01442
• If it documents an excision and graft or repair performed for an occlusion or aneurysm, use CPT 01444
• If the arterial procedure doesn’t match either specific descriptor, fall back to the NOS code, CPT 01440

Because all three carry the same 8 base units, an incorrect code choice doesn’t change the reimbursement amount directly. It does misrepresent the procedure in payer data and can trigger an audit when the code doesn’t match the operative report.

None of these three codes cover procedures below the knee — if the operative site is the lower leg, ankle, or foot, look in the CPT 01462 and higher range instead.

Related anesthesia CPT codes in the knee and popliteal area range

CPT Code 01444 is one of three arterial-specific codes at the end of the 01320-01444 range. Many of the codes earlier in the range cover routine orthopedic and sports medicine procedures rather than vascular repairs, so practices serving both patient populations need billing workflows that handle each accurately.

Knowing the codes that precede it also helps coders navigate the full section and select the most specific code for each case.

The table below covers the primary codes in this range, cross-checked against CMS/VA nationwide anesthesia base units. Verify all codes and base units against your payer’s current fee schedule, as values may vary.

For arthroplasty cases, note that total knee replacement anesthesia is coded to 01402 (7 base units), not CPT Code 01444. Practices that see knee replacement volume should ensure their billing templates distinguish between arthroplasty (01402), knee disarticulation (01404), and the arterial procedures at the end of the range (01440-01444).

Use the AAPC Codify CPT lookup for detailed code descriptions across this full range.

Vascular anesthesia work extends well beyond this single range. CPT 00352 covers anesthesia for major neck vessel ligation, and CPT 01714 covers anesthesia for upper arm tenoplasty — both billed using the same base-unit and modifier logic described above.

Code management becomes more complex across multi-procedure days. The same fee schedule discipline that applies to Bupa fee schedule billing helps practices keep code selection accurate at scale, and practice management software that integrates procedure code tracking with clinical documentation supports the same goal.

Conclusion

CPT Code 01444 is a specific vascular anesthesia code for popliteal artery excision and graft or repair when a patient has an occlusion or aneurysm — not a lower-leg catch-all. Confirming the correct code identity, base unit verification, modifier pairing, time documentation, and ICD-10 crosswalk accuracy all affect whether a claim pays on the first pass or lands in a denial queue.

Pabau helps surgical and anesthesia practices document procedure start and stop times, link modifier selections to provider credential records, and track code-level reimbursement across payers. To see how Pabau supports anesthesia billing documentation workflows, book a demo.

Continue your research

Need anesthesia billing for a different joint? CPT 01830 applies the same base-unit and modifier logic to forearm, wrist, and hand procedures.

Working an elbow case instead? CPT 01742 covers anesthesia for elbow osteotomy under the same reimbursement formula.

Billing for post-operative bracing? HCPCS L2050 covers the hip-knee-ankle-foot orthosis many vascular repair patients need during recovery.

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