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Billing code

A175A — Vascular surgery consultation

Vascular surgery consultation

A vascular surgeon bills A175 for a consultation at the written request of a referring physician or nurse practitioner.

Watch for: Put the referrer's billing number on the claim and send a written report back; virtually, by video only.

Code

A175A

Description

Vascular surgery consultation

FHO+ basket

Not in the FHO+ base rate basket (Schedule 2 or 2B).

Effective date

Apr 1, 2026

Termination date

No end date

Explanation

Updated October 26, 2026

Consultation by a vascular surgeon at the request of a referring physician or nurse practitioner.

What it covers

A consultation is an assessment done at the written request of a physician or nurse practitioner who wants a consultant's opinion because of the complexity, seriousness or obscurity of the case, or because the patient asked for another opinion (GP16).

A175 is the Vascular Surgery (17) consultation in the General Listings (A208). A consultation with at least 50 minutes of direct patient contact is the special surgical consultation A935 (A208, GP19).

Billing rules

• Needs a written, signed request from the referring physician or nurse practitioner naming the patient, the referrer's billing number and the reason; otherwise it is paid as a lesser assessment (GP16).
• Send a written report with findings, opinions and recommendations to the referrer (GP16).
• Same patient, same physician, same diagnosis: one consultation per two consecutive 12-month periods, with a second allowed only for an in-patient or ED consult 12–24 months after the first; a clearly unrelated diagnosis allows one per 12 months. Extra consults are paid as an assessment (GP17, GP18).
• Pre-operative consultations before low-risk elective procedures under local anaesthetic or IV sedation (cataract, colonoscopy, cystoscopy, carpal tunnel, arthroscopy) are only paid when the record shows medical necessity (GP18).
• Specialist consultations, limited consultations and repeat consultations get an age premium: +30% under 30 days, +25% to 1 year, +20% to 2 years, +15% to 5 years, +10% to 16 years (GP64).
• Can be done by video only, never by telephone; bill the code with K300A (Appendix J AJ2, A70).

Often billed with

• K001 detention after 60 minutes of consultation time (GP30).

Common rejections

• ARF: The referring provider number is missing. A consultation needs a written request that names the referring physician or nurse practitioner and their billing number (GP16).
• AT2: This code may be billed by video only (Appendix J, AJ2). A virtual claim must carry K300A, not K301A (telephone).
• A4D: Specialists must bill from the Consultations and Visits listing of their own specialty; this code is in the Vascular Surgery (17) listing (GP9).

Related codes: A935, A176, A173, A174, C175, W175

Source: Schedule of Benefits (July 1, 2026), Consultations and Visits, Vascular Surgery (17), page A208.

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