IV Push Injection (first drug)

An IV push is a drug delivered into a vein over a short period, by syringe or as a quick run through the line, with a clinician present the whole time. This code covers a single such push, or the first one in a visit. The difference between a push and an infusion is duration, not the drug — the same medicine can be either, depending on how fast it is given.

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What it is

Medicine can enter a vein two ways: dripped in over a long stretch, or pushed in over a short one. This is the short one — what clinicians call a bolus. A nurse or physician attaches a syringe to the IV catheter or to a port in the tubing and depresses it steadily, staying at the bedside from start to finish, then flushes the line with saline so nothing is left sitting in it. What separates a push from an infusion in the coding is the time the drug takes to go in and the fact that the person giving it is continuously present. This code is for a single push, or for the one designated the initial service when several things are given.

Why it is done

To get a drug working quickly, when the clinical situation does not allow an hour of drip time
To give a medicine whose dose is small enough that dilution and slow delivery serve no purpose
To deliver contrast or another diagnostic agent at a defined moment, such as during an imaging study
To treat pain, nausea, or an allergic reaction in an emergency department or recovery area
To give a single dose of an antibiotic or steroid where a full infusion setup is unnecessary

What to expect

If a line is already in place, nothing new is inserted; if not, a catheter goes in first. The push itself usually takes anywhere from under a minute to several, depending on the drug — some must be given slowly even as a push. Patients often feel something: a cool sensation traveling up the arm, a taste in the mouth, a flush, or with some drugs a brief wave of dizziness or warmth. That is why the person giving it stays put and watches. Afterward the line is flushed and either left in for later use or removed.

Questions worth asking

Was this billed as a push or as an infusion? The two are priced differently, and the distinction rests on how long the drug took to go in.
If I already had an IV line placed for another reason, is line placement billed again with this?
Is there an administration charge for each drug given, on top of the charge for the drugs themselves?
In an emergency department, is this bundled into the visit level charge or itemized on its own?

What IV Push Injection (first drug) costs by state

IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Texas — 113 hospitals, median $247.45
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in California — 90 hospitals, median $307.31
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Florida — 80 hospitals, median $318.50
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Ohio — 68 hospitals, median $291.00
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Illinois — 49 hospitals, median $244.20
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Tennessee — 37 hospitals, median $97.80
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Virginia — 35 hospitals, median $267.00
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Pennsylvania — 33 hospitals, median $306.00
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Wisconsin — 33 hospitals, median $182.85
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Washington — 31 hospitals, median $297.50
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Michigan — 27 hospitals, median $300.80
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Indiana — 26 hospitals, median $302.40
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Georgia — 25 hospitals, median $408.79
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Arizona — 23 hospitals, median $132.89
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Iowa — 23 hospitals, median $396.11
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in New York — 23 hospitals, median $249.32
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Kentucky — 21 hospitals, median $282.00
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in New Jersey — 21 hospitals, median $145.15
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Missouri — 20 hospitals, median $261.25
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Minnesota — 19 hospitals, median $180.77
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Colorado — 17 hospitals, median $223.19
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Oklahoma — 17 hospitals, median $136.50
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in West Virginia — 17 hospitals, median $417.00
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in North Carolina — 15 hospitals, median $140.15
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Nebraska — 13 hospitals, median $148.26
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Oregon — 13 hospitals, median $356.25
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Arkansas — 11 hospitals, median $120.90
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Kansas — 11 hospitals, median $182.65
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Mississippi — 11 hospitals, median $160.00
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in South Carolina — 11 hospitals, median $212.00
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Maine — 7 hospitals, median $271.65
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in South Dakota — 7 hospitals, median $376.00
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Alaska — 5 hospitals, median $630.24
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Nevada — 4 hospitals, median $165.26
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in North Dakota — 4 hospitals, median $295.20
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Wyoming — 4 hospitals, median $192.00
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Hawaii — 2 hospitals, median $156.48
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Maryland — 2 hospitals, median $292.80
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Montana — 2 hospitals, median $264.80
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in New Mexico — 2 hospitals, median $229.74
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in Louisiana — 1 hospitals, median $147.42
IV Push Injection (first drug) cost in New Hampshire — 1 hospitals, median $394.65

IV Push Injection (first drug) prices at hospitals

See every published price for IV Push Injection (first drug): the full national range, the state and hospital breakdowns, and which hospitals charge the least.

IV Push Injection (first drug) cost — see all prices →

Sources

MedlinePlus: IV treatment at home (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)
Wikipedia (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)

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