Billing code
Z459A — Vascular Cannulation - Arterial Puncture For Blood Gas Analysis
Arterial blood gas puncture
Bill for arterial puncture to draw blood for blood gas analysis.
Watch for: Not payable to you the same day as critical care for the same patient, which includes blood gases.
| Provider | Specialist | Assistant | Anaesthetist | Non-anaesthetist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10.20 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
- Code
- Z459A
- Description
- Vascular Cannulation - Arterial Puncture For Blood Gas Analysis
- FHO+ basket
- Not in the FHO+ base rate basket (Schedule 2 or 2B).
- Effective date
- Apr 1, 2025
- Termination date
- No end date
Explanation
Updated October 26, 2026
Arterial puncture to draw blood for blood gas analysis.
What it covers
Z459 is arterial puncture for blood gas analysis (H6). It is also listed under vascular cannulation in Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures (J7).
Arterial cannulation for pressure measurement is a separate listing, G268 (J7).
Billing rules
- Not payable to the same physician, same patient, same day as life-threatening critical care (G521, G523, G522, G391) or other critical care (G395, G391), which include blood gases and arterial catheters (J26, J28).
- Z codes are Independent Operative Procedures: if you did the major pre-operative visit in the past 12 months, only a minor assessment (family physician) or partial assessment (specialist) is payable before the procedure that day; if the major pre-operative visit is the same day, no other assessment before it is payable (SP4).
Related codes: G268, G269, G489, G521, G395
Source: Schedule of Benefits (July 1, 2026), Pulmonary Function Studies, Preamble, page H6; also Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures, Cardiovascular, page J7.
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