Get trusted answers to your coding questions from the Academy’s coding experts, so you can bill and code with confidence. The September coding selections include:

1. Return Exams for Corneal Rehab Prior to Surgery
   Patients return for multiple corneal rehabilitation therapies due to contact lens wear with our optometrist once cataract surgery has been determined medically necessary by one of the surgeons in the practice. Are these exams billable?

2. Diagnosis for Peripapillary Atrophy
   Our physician is performing fundus photography for peripapillary atrophy, and the only diagnosis we can find is H31.20 Hereditary choroidal dystrophy, unspecified, which is not accepted by our payer. Is there another diagnosis we should try?

3. Surgery Requiring General Anesthesia
   The surgeon performed CPT code 65222 -RT Removal of foreign body, external eye; corneal, with slit lamp under general anesthesia for a pediatric patient. Is there an additional modifier to append?

4. CPT Code for Silicone Oil Bubbles in Conjunctiva
   Our surgeon removed retained silicone oil bubbles within the conjunctiva. Is the appropriate CPT code 65210 Removal of foreign body, external eye; conjunctival embedded?

5. Suture Removal Under Anesthesia
   During the post-operative period of a corneal laceration repair, our surgeon performed an exam under anesthesia because of the patient’s due to poor vision, as well as, removed sutures. Is it appropriate to bill 92019 EUA, limited and 15850 Removal of sutures under anesthesia (other than local), same surgeon? I see no payer bundling of codes.

6. Intrastromal Injection CPT Code
   Our doctor performed an intrastromal corneal injection. Would CPT code 66030 Injection, anterior chamber of eye (separate procedure) medication be appropriate?

7. Billing Exam for Separate Complaint
   Our physician saw an established patient complaining of red and itchy eyes. The Diagnosis is allergic conjunctivitis, and abrasion was found that required debridement. Can we bill the exam and the procedure?

8. Eye Visit Code Application
   Our physician heard that ophthalmologists can no longer bill eye visit codes. Is this true?

9. After Hours Exam
   Our physicians are seeing more patients after hours, due to patient emergencies, such as foreign bodies. Are we able to charge the payer or patient additional dollars for this service?

10. Diagnosis for Scurf on Lids
    We are trying to determine the best ICD-10 code for scurf and mild sleeving on the lids.