Independence Blue Cross (IBX) and Independence Administrators will change their reimbursement position for anesthesia billing Modifier QZ. Effective December 1, 2025, the reimbursement will change from 100 to 85 percent of the calculated allowance.
This change, which supports our commitment to keeping health care affordable for members and customers, will apply to the IBX and Independence Administrators Commercial and Medicare Advantage lines of business.
When to report Modifier QZ
Modifier QZ must be reported when it is medically necessary for the qualified nonphysician anesthetist or Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) to be completely and fully involved during a procedure without medical direction by an anesthesiologist.
Learn more
For more information about the change to reporting and documentation requirements for anesthesia services on December 1, 2025, please refer to the following notifications:
Note: The above policy notification links will expire and become unusable on December 1, 2025, when the new policy is issued.
To access the most updated version of any active policy, please refer to the Medical and Claim Payment Policy Portal or simply navigate to the Commercial or Medicare Advantage policy bulletins.
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