## **What is the HCPCS code G0390 for?**
The HCPCS code G0390 is used when a trauma team activation (sometimes called trauma activation or trauma response team activation) is rapidly activated to provide critical care to stabilize a critically injured patient inside an emergency room.
Trauma centers will often deploy this quickly, and what the trauma program leaders do is to manage the trauma team of critical care nurses, emergency physicians, anesthesiologists, radiologists, respiratory therapists, and trauma surgeons as they address the injuries and severe trauma of trauma patients who suffered falls, were involved in vehicular accidents, or were victims of violent incidents. These patients will likely have the following:
- Bone fractures
- Significant blood loss
- Hemmorhages
- Head injuries
- Neck injuries
- Chest injuries
- Abdominal injuries
- Extremity injuries
- Lacerations
Please note that these patients are different from critically ill patients. Those types of patients are dealing with life-threatening diseases, while these patients are dealing with life-threatening injuries.
As mentioned earlier, the trauma team will stabilize the patient, minimize any damages they've sustained, and prepare them for further trauma care and treatment, which may involve surgery (like, closing gunshot wounds, repairing fractured bones, etc.).
## **Documentation requirements for G0390**
The documentation requirements for this HCPCS code are as follows:
- The full names of every member of the trauma team that was deployed
- The name of the associated trauma center/hospital they're part of
- Date and time of deployment
- Pre-hospital notification from a hospital caregiver about the patients
- Full name(s) of the patient(s)
- Details of the injuries and causes (this may include eyewitness testimonies)
- Patient's medical records
- Patient status before and after treatment
- Documentation of rapid primary assessments and their results
- Documentation of stabilization methods used, as well as results of such methods
- Documentation of imaging tests for X-rays, CT scans, etc.
- Documentation of emergency room/critical care provided
- Documentation of all tools and medication used
- Post-treatment plans
- Start and stop times of emergency/critical care provided
- Total duration of treatment provided
## **Billing requirements for G0390**
Please note that this code can only be reported by trauma centers and hospitals licensed by the local state authority or government, or as verified by the American College of Surgeons. If your trauma center or hospital isn't authorized or verified, you won't be able to file this code for billing.
Not only that, but even if your trauma center or hospital is authorized or verified, you need to have gotten a pre-hospital notification by a hospital caregiver before taking in the patient into the hospital, otherwise, this code can't be billed.
Also, this code can only be billed if the trauma center or hospital has provided over 30 minutes of critical care when trauma activation occurs. If care provided lasted less than 30 minutes, you cannot report this code, because it has to accompany CPT code 99291.
## **Other similar or related codes**
- 99291 - First 30–74 minutes of critical care
- 99292 - Additional 30 minutes of critical care
Frequently asked questions
