Please offer clarification on laser-assisted cataract surgery. Is there a separately billed CPT code to be reported for femtosecond laser assisted cataract surgery, or is that already included in the 66984 CPT code?

Answer: In 2012, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a letter clarifying laser-assisted cataract surgery. The agency stated that correcting natural astigmatism by laser can be charged to the patient; there is no defined CPT code. Likewise charges for premium lens implantation may be the patient’s responsibility as well. The last paragraph cites "Medicare coverage and payment for cataract surgery is the same irrespective of whether the surgery is performed using conventional surgical techniques or a bladeless, computer-controlled laser. Under either method, Medicare will cover and pay for the cataract removal and insertion of a conventional intraocular lens."

No additional charge for laser-assisted removal can be billed to the payer or beneficiary when performed with standard cataract surgery alone.

Find out more in the Academy’s Guidelines for Billing Medicare Beneficiaries When Using the Femtosecond Laser (PDF).