Wiki cataract removal with anterior vitrectomy

leren44

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I work for an ASC. One of our surgeions did a phaco cataract removal. After the phaco was done to the nucleus, the surgeon states " a capsular tear was noted centrally in the capsule and a limited anterior vitrectomy was performed"

My question is, can't I bill the anterior vitrectomey in addition to the phaco? When I inquired the surgeon as to whether the vitrectomy was done due to a vitreous hemorrhage, he stated I couldn't bill for the vitrectomy. Is this correct?

Thanks for any help
 
Hello, I agree with physician please see article.

Codes 67005 and 67010 are listed as components of 66984 (extracapsular cataract removal with insertion of intraocular lens prosthesis [one stage procedure], manual or mechanical technique [e.g., irrigation and aspiration or phacoemulsification]) on the Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) and are not separately payable for iatrogenic complications. The billing of 66984 and 67005 or 67010 with modifier -59 (distinct procedural service) would be unbundling, a type of Medicare billing fraud, says Raequell Duran, president of Practice Solutions, a Santa Barbara, Calif.-based ophthalmology coding and compliance consultancy.

Sal Valdepena, CCS, CEDC
 
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