Oklahoma § 36-7500 - Anesthesia coverage

§ 36-7500. Anesthesia coverage

A. As used in this section:

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 36. Insurance

1. “Anesthesia time” means the period beginning when an

anesthesia practitioner begins to prepare the patient for anesthesia

services in the operating room or an equivalent area and ends when

the anesthesia practitioner is no longer furnishing anesthesia

services to the patient. In counting anesthesia time for services

furnished, the anesthesia practitioner may include blocks of time

around an interruption in anesthesia time provided the anesthesia

practitioner is furnishing continuous anesthesia care within the

time periods around the interruption;

2. “Payments for anesthesia service” means the prevailing

medical coding and billing standards in the professional medical

billing community including, but not limited to, current AMA CPT

Codebook, Medicare Claims Processing Manual, and American Society of

Anesthesiologists guidance. Payment for anesthesia services is

based on base plus time unit together multiplied by an anesthesia

conversion factor. Anesthesia time units are recognized in

appropriate time intervals that must add up to the duration of the

anesthesia time; and

3. “Insurer” shall have the same meaning as defined in Section

1250.2 of Title 36 of the Oklahoma Statutes.

B. No insurer shall establish, implement, or enforce any

policy, practice, or procedure which:

1. Imposes a time limit on the amount of covered anesthesia

services provided during a medical or surgical procedure; or

2. Restricts or excludes coverage or payment of anesthesia

time.

Added by Laws 2025, c. 170, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2025.

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 36. Insurance