Billing code
C998C — Special visit, assistant or anaesthesia, weekday evenings
Evening assistant or anaesthesia call-in
Add for the first patient when a surgical assistant (C998B) or anaesthetist (C998C) travels in for a weekday evening case, 17:00 to 24:00.
Watch for: Only when you travel from another location, not within the same hospital campus; maximum 2 per period.
| Provider | Specialist | Assistant | Anaesthetist | Non-anaesthetist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0.00 | $0.00 | $96.80 | $60.00 | $60.00 |
- Code
- C998C
- Description
- Special visit, assistant or anaesthesia, weekday evenings
- 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
First-patient premium for a surgical assistant (C998B) or anaesthetist (C998C) called in for a weekday evening case; C998C also covers lost office hours.
What it covers
C998B is the surgical assistant's special visit premium for the first patient seen when the physician travels in to assist, evenings 17:00 to 24:00, Monday to Friday (GP88, GP89).
C998C is the anaesthesia special visit premium when an anaesthesiologist travels to the hospital to give an anaesthetic for a case that starts on a weekday evening (17:00 to 24:00), or for non-elective surgery on a weekday with sacrifice of office hours (GP94).
Other periods have their own codes: Saturdays, Sundays and holidays 07:00 to 24:00 are C983B (assistant) and C985C (anaesthesia), nights are C999B and C999C, and the assistant's weekday sacrifice of office hours premium is C988B (GP88, GP94).
Billing rules
- Only for the first patient seen on each special visit (GP88, GP94).
- Only when the physician has to travel from one location to another, as defined for the travel premium; travel within the same hospital complex or campus doesn't count (GP66, GP88, GP94).
- Maximum 2 per time period, for both C998B and C998C (GP89, GP94).
- The general special visit requirements on GP65 to GP77 apply, including that the visit is for a non-elective service (GP65, GP88, GP94).
- Payable in addition to the E400 (+50%) after-hours premium on the assistant's or anaesthetic fee (GP88, GP94).
- Claim with the B suffix for the assistant and the C suffix for the anaesthetist (GP86, GP93).
Often billed with
- E400B or E400C (+50%) for the same case starting in the evening (GP87, GP88, GP94).
- The assistant's or anaesthetist's claim for the procedure, for example caesarean section P018B or P018C (K6, GP86, GP93).
Related codes: C988, C983, C985, C999, E400, E401, P018
Source: Schedule of Benefits (July 1, 2026), General Preamble, Surgical Assistants' Services, special visit premiums, pages GP88 to GP89, and Anaesthesiologists' Services, page GP94; special visit rules GP65 to GP66
APEX checks every paid claim against the Schedule of Benefits and flags codes billed below what the visit qualified for. See how APEX works · Pricing