E005B – Replacement surgical assistant service
OHIP Surgical Assists Code — GENERAL PREAMBLE · Schedule of Benefits
When one surgical assistant (the “first assistant”) starts a procedure and is replaced by another surgical assistant (the “replacement assistant”) during a surgical procedure, the service provided by the replacement assistant constitutes E005B. The fee is calculated based on the number of time units for the time the replacement assistant is in attendance. Time units for the replacement assistant are calculated based on the total time the replacement assistant participates in the case, using the same time unit values that would have applied to the original assistant had they not been replaced. Base units are not payable for this service.
When to Use
- Use E005B when the original surgical assistant is relieved by a colleague mid-procedure due to shift changes or fatigue, ensuring the replacement assistant is paid for their specific duration of attendance.
- Use E005B when a surgical assistant is called away for an emergency and a second assistant takes over the remainder of the procedure to allow the surgery to continue without delay.
Common Pitfalls
- A common error is attempting to bill base units with E005B; the code is strictly for time units only, and any claim including base units will be rejected.
- Failure to document exact start and stop times in the operative report is the most frequent cause of audit recovery, as E005B is ineligible for payment without this specific temporal record.
- Miscalculating time units by failing to match the original assistant's unit structure; the replacement must use the same time-unit logic that applied to the first assistant.
Billing Tips
- Ensure the claim includes the specific start and stop times of the replacement assistant to justify the time units claimed and to satisfy the mandatory documentation requirement.
- When the procedure commences during after-hours, append E400B or E401B to the E005B claim, provided the original procedure start time meets the premium eligibility criteria.
No fee information available.
GP. General Preamble
GENERAL PREAMBLE
Procedure
Surgical Assistants' Services
E005B is only eligible for payment when the start and stop times are documented in the patient's permanent medical record.
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