Overview

CPT 59618 represents a comprehensive maternity care service in which the provider delivers complete antepartum care, facilitates hospital admission for delivery, manages intensive labor, and provides postpartum care. This code applies when a patient attempts a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) but the attempt fails, resulting in a repeat cesarean delivery.

Typical global services begin around 8–10 weeks of gestation, include management through full-term cesarean delivery at 39–40 weeks, and cover routine postpartum visits for up to six weeks after delivery.

Purpose of CPT 59618

The purpose of CPT 59618 is to accurately capture all professional services provided for a failed VBAC case, including antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum care. Correct use of this code ensures providers are fully reimbursed for the increased complexity of these cases, while maintaining compliance with payer guidelines.

Clinical Scenarios for CPT 59618

A patient with a previous cesarean attempts VBAC but requires a repeat cesarean due to fetal distress.
Failed labor progression during VBAC attempt leading to emergency C-section.
Maternal health complications during a VBAC attempt require immediate surgical delivery.
Failed VBAC with postoperative inpatient care and routine postpartum outpatient visits.

Procedure Overview

Antepartum Care: Routine prenatal visits, monitoring, and management from early pregnancy through labor onset.
Hospital Admission: Inpatient admission for labor management with VBAC attempt.
Intensive Labor Management: Continuous assessment, fetal monitoring, and interventions to support vaginal delivery when possible.
Cesarean Delivery: Surgical delivery of the fetus and placenta via abdominal incision after failed VBAC.
Postpartum Care: Inpatient recovery management followed by one or more outpatient visits within six weeks after delivery.

Billing and Reimbursement Tips for CPT 59618

Document antepartum start date and all relevant prenatal services.
Link failed VBAC details clearly in the operative report.
Apply CPT 59618 only when antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum services are all provided by the same physician or group practice.
Avoid unbundling unless additional unrelated procedures are performed.
Monitor payer-specific rules for VBAC and cesarean documentation requirements.

BillingFreedom: Maximizing Reimbursement for Complex Maternity Billing

At BillingFreedom, we specialize in OBGYN medical billing services that safeguard revenue in high-stakes cases, such as failed VBACs that result in cesarean deliveries. CPT 59618 requires precise documentation, code accuracy, and payer alignment to ensure full reimbursement.

Our clients typically experience:

15–20% increase in reimbursement accuracy
20–25% faster payment turnaround
Up to 30% fewer claim denials
97–99% clean-claim acceptance on first submission

We handle coding precision, modifier strategy, payer edit checks, and denial prevention, so you can focus on patient care while we protect your bottom line.

For more details about our exceptional medical billing services, please don't hesitate to contact us via email at info@billingfreedom.com or call us at +1 (855) 415-3472.

Your financial tranquility is our priority!