E101B – Surgical assistant standby
OHIP Surgical Assists Code — GENERAL PREAMBLE · Schedule of Benefits
E101B is a time-based service payable for standby as a surgical assistant following a minimum of 30 minutes of unforeseen delay beyond the scheduled start time for surgery. The physician must be physically present in the operating room suite for the period between the scheduled and actual surgical start time. Time is calculated from 30 minutes after the scheduled start time until the surgery commences as recorded in the hospital's operating suite records.
When to Use
- Use when you are physically present in the OR suite waiting for a delayed surgery to begin, provided the delay exceeds 30 minutes beyond the originally scheduled start time.
- Use to bill for the time elapsed between the 30-minute grace period and the actual surgical start time, as verified by the hospital's official OR records.
Common Pitfalls
- Billing E101B while simultaneously billing for other insured services, such as a consultation or assessment in the ER or clinic, during the standby period will result in a rejection.
- Failing to account for the mandatory 30-minute deduction from the total standby duration, which often leads to claim adjustments or audit flags.
- Attempting to bill E101B for delays that were anticipated or known prior to the scheduled start time, as the code specifically requires an unforeseen delay.
Billing Tips
- Ensure your billing record explicitly matches the OR start time documentation provided by the hospital, as this is the primary source of truth for audit verification.
- You may apply E400B or E401B premiums to the E101B fee if the surgery commences during the specified after-hours or night-time windows.
No fee information available.
GP. General Preamble
GENERAL PREAMBLE
Time-based service
Surgical Assistants' Services
The start time for the service commences 30 minutes after the scheduled surgical start time and ends when the surgery actually commences as recorded in the hospital's operating suite records.
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