MAY 31, 2022
Testing Before Surgery
Our practice standard is to obtain a macular OCT on patients prior to undergoing cataract surgery. This allows the surgeon to pick up preexisting macular pathology so that patients can be counseled appropriately on visual outcomes following surgery. Some of these OCTs do not reveal pathology. Is there a way to bill and code for these scans?
Performing OCT’s without a covered diagnosis is a screening test and is not billable to insurance. Physicians may choose to perform a series of tests on cataract patients, particularly topography and OCT of the retina, to help obtain a better outcome. Those tests are not billable to the patient or the payer. Their costs are absorbed by the practice.
See our recent story on
cataract controversies.