Surgeons and Anesthesiologists – BMI Supplements for Morbidly Obese Patients

Body Mass Index (BMI) supplemental payments are claimable by the primary surgeon and the primary anesthesiologist for certain eligible surgical services on morbidly obese patients. 

To claim a BMI supplement:

• List the tariff corresponding to the surgical service under one of the BMI supplement tariffs.
• The primary Surgeon may claim one of either Tariff 0021, 0022, 0023 or 0024.
• The primary Anesthesiologist may claim one of either Tariff 0025, 0026, 0027 or 0028.

For purposes of these tariffs, Morbidly Obese patients are adults with a BMI greater than 40 or a BMI greater than 45 if pregnant. 

For patients under 18 years of age, the supplements may be claimed for patients above the 97^th percentile for BMI based on an approved paediatric growth curve.

Billing Note:

• Only one supplement may be claimed per patient per day by each primary Surgeon and the primary Anesthesiologist. If more than one eligible surgical service is provided, claim the supplement associated with the highest value surgical service.
• The patient’s weight, height, and BMI must be included with your claim and documented in the OR report.
• For hysterectomy services, claiming the BMI supplement may not be in conjunction with claims for Tariff 4620.
• To determine the appropriate surgical assistant benefits for the first surgical assistant, include the BMI supplement when deciding the principal surgeon’s total benefits. The BMI supplement is not included when determining the benefit for a second surgical assistant.
• After Hours or Out of Hours Premiums do not apply to BMI supplements.