Wiki Instument Based Ocular Screening - Smartphone Mobile app and Billing?

Create Wiki
M

mickeyp23

New
Messages
4
Location
Upland, PA
Best answers
0
Does anyone know if there are any reimbursable CPT codes that I can bill when a provider is using their smartphone mobile app to analys data for an eye test? Or is their a reimbursable CPT code that can be used to bill for conducting the eye exam via the smartphone?
 
Sorry, but just my personal opinion here as an optometrist who's been in practice for 38 years.

There is no way you can conduct a valid meaningful eye exam using a smart phone app. Anyone who is attempting to do this is committing malpractice, in my opinion, and if I heard of a doctor doing "eye exams" this way, I would report them to the appropriate licensing board immediately for endangering the public's welfare.

I know that there are apps available and sites available to supposedly do refractions and to, theoretically, examine the health of the eye but, in reality, you cannot do either of those properly and to the patient's benefit unless you are examining the patient in person.

To submit a bill to an insurer for such an exam would also be fraud as far as I'm concerned.
 
mitchellde said:
I am not sure I understand. How was the smart phone employed exactly? Did the provider use the phone to take a picture, or what?
Click to expand...

The physician is asking if he can be reimbursed for using an app on the smartphone to examine the patient’s eyes and the app then prepares a report for analysis.
 
AAP, AAO, AAPOS and AACO recommend instrument based ocular screening for under 5 years old and this not done by some cellphone app but an expensive calibrated piece of machinery. CPT is 99174

Here is a payment policy I found from Aetna covering for children which matches the studies i first came across

http://www.aetna.com/cpb/medical/data/600_699/0689.html

Aetna considers one ocular photoscreening medically necessary for screening all children 3 years of age, and for screening children 4 to 5 years of age who are unable to cooperate with routine acuity screening (e.g., mental retardation, developmental delay, and severe behavioral disorders).
Click to expand...

Here is a demo on one of these devices:

https://vimeo.com/38989344
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top