Ophthalmology and Optometry Coding Alert

Your vitrectomy claims could get a boost from this placement code. When your ophthalmologist inserts a device for radiation or glaucoma drainage, delivers drugs with a mircocatheter, or scans an eye segment using light, reporting an emerging technology code can make the difference between its metamorphosis into a category I code or its death. CPT 2009 revised its category III guidelines. After five years without a conversion to a category I code, the AMA will delete the category III code, says Jill Young, CPC, CEDC, CIMC, principle with Young Medical Consulting LLC in East Lansing, Mich. Bill for Placing Macular Degeneration Applicator Overlooking an add-on code when your ophthalmologist performs 67036 (Vitrectomy, mechanical, pars plana approach) could leave money unclaimed. Although the Medicare national fee schedule does not assign relative value units (RVUs) to category III codes, carriers may pay for the codes, such as +0190T (Placement of intraocular radiation [...]