Ophthalmology and Optometry Coding Alert

The rules say only one doctor gets to report 99281-99285 -- but it isn't always the ED doctor.Knowing when you can report the ED or consultation codes for emergencies could be worth more than $180 per visit for your practice.Ophthalmologists work hard dealing with eye injuries in an emergency department, but the payment they receive may not reflect their extra work. Medicare pays ophthalmologists less for treating patients in the ED than it does for treating them in the office because of the distinction between services performed in a facility setting versus a non-facility setting.Payments for services performed in a nonfacility (such as the ophthalmologist's office) include extra reimbursement for practice expense. However, the physician work expense reimbursement is the same regardless of the setting, notes Maggie M. Mac, CPC, CEMC, CHC, CMM, ICCE, Director of Network Oversight, Mount Sinai Medical Center Compliance Department in New York City. "Since the physician [...]