Ophthalmology and Optometry Coding Alert

Question: Is 95930 the correct procedure code for potential visual acuity meter? Can this code be billed with a comprehensive exam code?Ohio Subscriber Answer: There is no CPT code for the potential acuity meter (PAM) test, also known as the Guyton-Minkowski Potential Acuity Meter. Medicare carriers consider PAM to be an integral part of the evaluation and management service; therefore, they will not reimburse PAM separately from an eye exam or E/M visit.Ophthalmologists often use PAM to estimate potential vision prior to cataract surgery. The PAM projects an eye chart directly onto the retina, bypassing the cloudy lens, giving the ophthalmologist a way to see how much the patient's vision may improve after surgery.Code 95930 (Visual evoked potential [VEP] testing central nervous system, checkerboard or flash) describes a neurological test in which electrodes measure the electrical activity in the visual pathways of the patient's brain. The VEP can evaluate conditions like optic neuritis, optic tumors, and multiple sclerosis.Resource: For more information on coding VEP tests, see " VEP Tests on Nonverbal Patients? Look to 95930 for Complete Reimbursement" in Ophthalmology Coding Alert, Vol. 11, No. 9.