Healthcare Insights
Top 20 injection, infusion, and complex agent administration procedures
Medical infusion, or infusion therapy, is a medication delivery method used in the treatment of numerous diseases and conditions, including cancer, autoimmune disorders, infections, and dehydration.
By delivering medication through a needle or catheter, healthcare providers use infusion therapy to target specific body parts, avoid the diminishing impact of the digestive system on certain drugs, and dispense treatment at a controlled rate. Infusion therapies delivered intravenously are also known as IV therapies.
Under Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) standards, infusion therapy procedures are categorized under the subcategory “Medicine – injections, infusions, and complex agent administration”. Using claims data, we’ve compiled a list of these procedures ranked by their relative volume in 2021.
| Rank | HCPCS/CPT code | HCPCS/CPT description | % Total procedures | Avg charge/procedure | Explore dataset |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 96372 | THER/PROPH/DIAG INJ SC/IM | 28.50% | $107 | Explore |
| 2 | 96374 | THER/PROPH/DIAG INJ IV PUSH | 14.20% | $359 | Explore |
| 3 | 96375 | TX/PRO/DX INJ NEW DRUG ADDON | 12.90% | $351 | Explore |
| 4 | 96365 | THER/PROPH/DIAG IV INF INIT | 8.30% | $482 | Explore |
| 5 | 96361 | HYDRATE IV INFUSION ADD-ON | 8.20% | $347 | Explore |
| 6 | 96413 | CHEMO IV INFUSION 1 HR | 6.40% | $733 | Explore |
| 7 | 96376 | TX/PRO/DX INJ SAME DRUG ADON | 3.40% | $320 | Explore |
| 8 | 96360 | HYDRATION IV INFUSION INIT | 3.20% | $463 | Explore |
| 9 | 96367 | TX/PROPH/DG ADDL SEQ IV INF | 2.90% | $277 | Explore |
| 10 | 96366 | THER/PROPH/DIAG IV INF ADDON | 2.90% | $377 | Explore |
| 11 | 96415 | CHEMO IV INFUSION ADDL HR | 2.00% | $366 | Explore |
| 12 | 96417 | CHEMO IV INFUS EACH ADDL SEQ | 1.50% | $436 | Explore |
| 13 | 96401 | CHEMO ANTI-NEOPL SQ/IM | 1.40% | $306 | Explore |
| 14 | 96402 | CHEMO HORMON ANTINEOPL SQ/IM | 0.90% | $243 | Explore |
| 15 | 96368 | THER/DIAG CONCURRENT INF | 0.80% | $211 | Explore |
| 16 | 96523 | IRRIG DRUG DELIVERY DEVICE | 0.70% | $183 | Explore |
| 17 | 96411 | CHEMO IV PUSH ADDL DRUG | 0.60% | $417 | Explore |
| 18 | 96416 | CHEMO PROLONG INFUSE W/PUMP | 0.40% | $842 | Explore |
| 19 | 96409 | CHEMO IV PUSH SNGL DRUG | 0.30% | $575 | Explore |
| 20 | 96377 | APPLICATON ON-BODY INJECTOR | 0.30% | $148 | Explore |
Fig. 1 Data is from the Definitive Healthcare ClaimsMx product for calendar year 2021. Claims data is sourced from multiple medical claims clearinghouses in the United States and is updated monthly. Data is accurate as of October 2022.
What were the most common infusion therapy procedures in 2021?
The top procedure code on our list is CPT code 96372, representing 28.5% of all procedures within this category in 2021. This code captures a broad range of therapeutic, prophylactic, and diagnostic injections and infusions (excluding chemotherapy and other highly complex drugs) injected intramuscularly or subcutaneously. The prevalence of these procedures is reflected in their cost: with an average charge per procedure of $107, they’re the least expensive on our list.
In second place is CPT code 96374, with 14.2% of total procedures in 2021. This code is the IV therapy companion to CPT code 96372, representing the intravenous delivery of therapeutic, prophylactic, and diagnostic injections and infusions (minus chemotherapy and other complex drugs).
The third-most common procedures fall under CPT code 96375, accounting for 12.9% of 2021 infusion procedures. This code refers to the administration of a new drug or other substance via IV push following the delivery of medication under CPT code 96374.
The first chemotherapy-related procedure on our list comes in at number six with 6.4% of infusion procedures in 2021: Chemotherapy IV infusion for one hour, under CPT code 96413.
What are the different types of infusion?
Infusion therapies can be performed for a variety of purposes. A provider will select an infusion method based on the patient’s unique physiology and medical needs. Some of the most common include:
- IV therapy, in which medication is delivered directly into the bloodstream. Nearly anyone who has undergone surgery has received a saline solution via IV to maintain fluid levels during the procedure.
- Epidural, in which medication is injected into the spine. This method is most commonly used to relieve pain during childbirth, but can also be used to treat severe, intractable back pain, or prepare a patient for treatments targeting the lower back or pelvis.
- Subcutaneous, in which medicine is administered in the second layer of skin. This method is often used to deliver insulin.
- Intramuscular, in which medication is injected into the muscles. This method is ideal for drugs that require quick absorption and slow release into the body.
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