CPT Code 96417 | Description & Clinical Information
CPT 96417 describes the ongoing administration of a chemotherapy drug into a patient’s vein using an infusion technique, which is reported separately as an add-on procedure when a different chemotherapy drug is administered through intravenous infusion following the primary dose of chemotherapy.
Official Description
The CPT book defines CPT code 96417 as: “Chemotherapy administration, intravenous infusion technique; each additional sequential infusion (different substance/drug), up to 1 hour (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure)”.
Billing Guidelines
Use CPT code 96417 in combination with CPT code 96413.
For each sequential infusion, only report once. If there are additional hour(s) of sequential infusion, report CPT code 96415.
Clinical Information
The procedure described by CPT code 96417 is a chemotherapy treatment used to combat cancer through the use of chemical agents. It is a therapeutic procedure administered by healthcare providers to help destroy cancerous cells in the body.
Chemotherapy drugs can be administered through a variety of methods, including oral, intramuscular, subcutaneous, intravenous, intraarterial, intraventricular, intraperitoneal, and topical. Of these methods, the most common is intravenous, which ensures faster absorption of the drugs into the bloodstream.
When administering chemotherapy via intravenous methods, there are several options for accessing the bloodstream. The provider may choose a nontunneled or tunneled catheter, a PICC line, or an angiocatheter, depending on the intended duration of drug delivery.
An angiocatheter is a temporary catheter that a provider inserts and then removes upon drug delivery completion. It is a valuable option for shorter treatments or when an intravenous access device is not available.
During the CPT code 96417 procedure, a healthcare provider administers an initial chemotherapy agent via intravenous infusion for one hour. Following this, the provider delivers a different chemotherapy agent through the same intravenous route for an additional hour.
To administer the treatment, the provider inserts a peripheral cannula or catheter into a peripheral vein and then connects it to the chemotherapy agent. The intravenous method is ideal for this process as it ensures fast and efficient delivery of the drug into the bloodstream.
Overall, CPT code 96417 is an important procedure for treating patients with cancer. It offers a wide range of chemotherapy delivery methods and can be tailored to meet the needs of individual patients. Healthcare providers need to be well-trained in the procedure to ensure optimal results for their patients.
