Ophthalmology and Optometry Coding Alert

Was the vitrectomy planned or unplanned? Know the answer before coding it separately.With several possible surgical treatments for cataract procedures, which you probably code more often than any other surgery, there's a lot of room for error -- with over $1000 at stake for complex cataract procedures in 2011.Use these tricky scenarios as a guide through some of the most problematic cataract coding situations:Document Necessity for Planned VitrectomyScenario #1: During the course of a cataract removal, the vitreous collapses and the ophthalmologist finds it necessary to perform a vitrectomy.Question: Can you code separately for the vitrectomy?Answer: The answer depends on whether the vitreous collapse was an iatrogenic (inadvertently introduced) complication. Ophthalmologists often have to perform a vitrectomy during cataract surgery due to vitreous collapse in the course of removing a dense, senile cataract. In these cases, Medicare considers the vitrectomy a component of the cataract surgery, and thus not separately payable.The [...]