[Box 24d] Procedure or CPT code 66821, 55 modifier, surgery eye (RT or LT) [Box 24g] Number of global billing units—usually 1 (Medicare prefers # of units vs. # of days) • If you are sending claims to insurance carriers other than Medicare, check with them first for billing instructions, as they may vary. PCLI’s Hotline for Billing Questions
With features like these, it’s no surprise:
• Use modifier “-55” with the CPT procedure code for global periods of 10 or 90 days. • Report the date of surgery as the date of service and indicate the date care was relinquished or assumed. Physicians must keep copies of the written transfer agreement in the beneficiary’s medical record.
Report procedure code 66821 with a -LT or -RT modifier if performed on one eye only. Report procedure code 66821 with a -78 modifier if performed within 90 days of cataract surgery. When a series of procedures is planned for the removal of a posterior dense fibrotic capsule, it will be covered as a single procedure.
If the doctor performs a YAG in the postop period, first we bill it to Medicare with the -79 modifier, she says. Then we get the denial back. And then we send it in again with a medical necessity note from the doctor.
Documentation Requirements Documentation such as the patient's medical record should demonstrate very clearly why Yag laser capsulotomy was performed. This should include the results of a visual acuity test and/or a glare test.
Z98. 4 - Cataract extraction status. ICD-10-CM.
CPT 66821Questions about Medicare rules for YAG laser capsulotomy (CPT 66821) still come up. Here are some that practices ask about the most.
So unless you are in the global period for the original cataract surgery the 66821 doesn't need a modifier, if you are within the global period then you would add the 78 on the 66821.
YAG laser treatments are covered as a medical necessity under all insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid.
Medicare Coverage for YAG Laser Capsulotomy Medicare covers 80 percent of the costs of YAG laser capsulotomy after you pay your Medicare Part B deductible. YAG laser capsulotomy procedures are typically done in a hospital outpatient department or an ambulatory surgical center.
Because the risk of cataracts increases as you age, Medicare beneficiaries who've had corrective surgery may wonder, does Medicare cover YAG laser capsulotomy for vision problems that may occur in the months or years following the procedure? The answer is yes, as long as the surgery is considered medically necessary.
Cataract extraction status, unspecified eye Z98. 49 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes. The 2022 edition of ICD-10-CM Z98. 49 became effective on October 1, 2021.
For purposes of this measure, only the following CPT cataract surgery codes should be used: 66982: Cataract surgery with insertion of intraocular lens, complex. 66983: Cataract surgery, intracapsular, with insertion of intraocular lens. 66984: Cataract surgery, extracapsular, with insertion of intraocular lens.
ICD-10 code H25. 812 for Combined forms of age-related cataract, left eye is a medical classification as listed by WHO under the range - Diseases of the eye and adnexa .
In those cases where the postoperative care is "split" between physicians, the billing for the postoperative care should be reported as follows: Report the date of service using the date of the surgical procedure. Report the procedure code for the surgical procedure, followed by modifier 55.
Modifier 78 is used to report an unplanned return to the operating or procedure room, by the same physician, following an initial procedure for a related procedure during the post-operative period.
What is YAG laser capsulotomy? YAG laser capsulotomy is surgery to help you see clearly after cataract surgery. You may need this surgery because months or years after cataract surgery, your vision may get fuzzy again. This happens when a membrane in your eye, called the posterior capsule, becomes cloudy.
Can you have YAG laser more than once? It is usually only required once because the procedure removes the scaffold upon which the opacification forms. However, it is possible to enlarge a capsulotomy at a later date if necessary.