The long-awaited Fascial Plane Block Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes will become available starting January 1, 2025. These new codes will be used to report thoracic, lower-extremity, and abdominal fascial plane blocks for postoperative pain management. Currently, since there are no CPT codes to report anesthetic injections into a fascial plane other than the specific codes for transversus abdominis plane (TAP) blocks, fascial plane blocks administered in other regions are reported using CPT code 64999 Unlisted procedure, nervous system. Fascial plane blocks are regional anesthesia techniques in which the space (“plane”) between two discrete fascial layers is the target of needle insertion and local anesthetic injection. There has been a rapid expansion of fascial plane block techniques in recent years associated with the routine adoption of ultrasound guidance.

ASA, along with ASRA Pain Medicine, submitted a code proposal to the American Medical Association (AMA) CPT Editorial Panel in September 2023 after months of preparation. After CPT approval, ASA and ASRA Pain Medicine then surveyed their memberships to collect data to develop value recommendations for AMA’s RVS Update Committee (RUC). The RUC and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services accepted the valuation proposals recommended by the societies, which resulted in approval for inclusion in the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee schedule.

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There are six new codes describing specific anatomy where the blocks may be performed.

Please note that the new codes already include imaging; therefore, imaging codes (e.g., ultrasound) cannot be reported separately. Although the titles for the TAP block CPT codes are unchanged, the 2025 CPT “Introduction/Injection of Anesthetic Agent (Nerve Block), Diagnostic or Therapeutic Somatic Nerves” section subheading has been revised and updated to “Codes 64486, 64487, 64488, 64489 describe injection of an abdominal fascial plane block.” This indicates that the TAP block codes starting in 2025 may be used for other abdominal fascial plane blocks other than the TAP or rectus sheath block (e.g., quadratus lumborum block).