Ophthalmology and Optometry Coding Alert

Question: If I am coding for strabismus surgery for a patient who had scarring in both eyes from previous surgery, do I have to report 67332 twice or can I use modifier -50? Florida Subscriber Answer: Because add-on codes have the stipulation that you can't append modifier -51 (Multiple procedures) to them, coders sometimes feel unsure whether it is a good idea to apply any modifiers to these special codes. But in this case, you can feel entirely confident that using modifier -50 (Bilateral procedure) to indicate that the condition, scarring, was present in both eyes is the correct way to code.

It is important to denote correctly the bilateral extraocular scarring, +67332 (Strabismus surgery on patient with scarring of extraocular muscles [e.g., prior ocular injury, strabismus or retinal detachment surgery] or restrictive myopathy [e.g., dysthyroid ophthal-mopathy]), because this condition requires significantly more work by the ophthalmologist.