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Billing code

E400C — Evenings (17:00h 24:00h) Monday To Friday Or Daytime And Evenings On Saturdays, Sundays Or Holidays - Add 50%

Evening and weekend anaesthesia premium

Adds 50% to the assistant's (E400B) or anaesthetist's (E400C) total fee when the case starts weekday evenings or weekend or holiday daytime.

Watch for: Based on when the case starts; cases starting 00:00 to 07:00 use E401, and surgeons use E409.

Code

E400C

Description

Evenings (17:00h 24:00h) Monday To Friday Or Daytime And Evenings On Saturdays, Sundays Or Holidays - Add 50%

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

50% after-hours premium on the assistant's (E400B) or anaesthetist's (E400C) total fee for cases starting weekday evenings or weekend or holiday days.

What it covers

E400B increases the total surgical assistant's fee by 50%, and E400C increases the total anaesthetic fee by 50%, when the case commences in the evening (17:00 to 24:00) Monday to Friday, or in the daytime or evening on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday (GP87, GP94).

The total fee is the basic units plus time units multiplied by the unit fee (GP85, GP92). For a case that starts at night (00:00 to 07:00) the premium is E401 instead (GP87, GP94).

Billing rules

• Based on when the case commences, not when it ends (GP87, GP94).
• For the assistant (B suffix) and anaesthetist (C suffix) only. The surgeon's after-hours premium on the procedural fee is E409, which has its own criteria (GP87, GP94, GP103 to GP104).
• A replacement assistant (E005B) or replacement anaesthesiologist (E005C) gets E400 only if the case began after hours (GP87, GP95).
• Surgical assistant standby (E101B) is payable with after-hours premiums (GP91).
• Special visit premiums for travelling in (C998B or C983B for the assistant, C998C or C985C for anaesthesia) are payable in addition to E400 (GP88, GP94).
• Holidays are the days defined on GP3; only services listed as holiday premiums or services, such as certain special visit premiums and after-hours premiums, are paid as holiday claims (GP3).

Often billed with

• The assistant's or anaesthetist's claim for the procedure, for example caesarean section P018B or P018C (K6, GP87, GP94).
• On the assistant's claim, E676B (6 units) for a morbidly obese patient (BMI over 40, recorded in the chart) when the procedure is on the E676 list, which includes P018 (SP6 to SP7).
• C998B/C998C (weekday evening) or C983B/C985C (weekend or holiday) when the physician travels in for the case (GP88, GP94).

Related codes: E401, C998, C983, C985, E005, E101, E409, E676

Source: Schedule of Benefits (July 1, 2026), General Preamble, Surgical Assistants' Services, After Hours Premiums, page GP87, and Anaesthesiologists' Services, After Hours Premiums, page GP94

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