# 66984 vs 66982



## KELLI (Dec 30, 2010)

Hi Everyone,

I am wondering if someone can take a look at this op report for me... I billed it as a 66984 but the doctor's office got the auth for 66982 and would like me to bill that code out but I don't see any documentation that supports that CPT code. I am not sure if I am missing anything so a second opinion is greatly appreciated. 


Thank you!!

DESCRIPTION OF PROCEDURE:  The patient was brought into the operating
room after having tetracaine eye drops every 5 minutes x 4, and one
drop of Marcaine 0.75%.  The patient was prepped and draped as usual
with 0.5% Betadine solution.  Then we placed the self-retaining
eyelid speculum to separate the eyelids.

Then I entered the anterior chamber, clear cornea, with a 2.75
keratome temporally.  Then I did a side port; this was a 1-mm opening
at the limbal area.  This was located at the 6:00 position.
Following this, I proceeded to fill the anterior chamber with 0.5 mL
of 1% preservative-free lidocaine, and then I also proceeded to fill
the anterior chamber with Healon GV.  Then I did a capsulorrhexis,
360 degrees, and I hydrodissected the nucleus and removed this by
phacoemulsification by the chopping technique.  Then I proceeded to
remove the cortical material from the eye, and polished the posterior
capsule.  Following this, I filled the anterior chamber as well as
the capsular bag with Healon GV, and then injected the lens into the
capsular bag without difficulty.  The lens was rotated and noted to
be in good position.

Following this, I proceeded to remove the Healon from the eye,
pressurized the eye with BSS solution.  There was no leakage.
Following this, a drop of Vigamox and one drop of Acular was placed
upon this right eye.  We removed the eyelid speculum as well as the
draping.

I placed an eye shield to protect the eye.  The patient tolerated the
surgery well and was sent to the recovery room in satisfactory
condition.


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## rizeninme (Dec 30, 2010)

The capsulorrhexis could qualify this procedure, but the CPT specifies a "primary posterior capsulorrhexis" as an exception- if this is what was done and the doctor appends his dictation to be more specific, then I think 66982 would be appropriate to bill.


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## donnamarks (Jan 7, 2011)

*complex cataract surgery*

I agree with your coding, I don't see anything in this note that would qualify for 66982.

Donna Marks, CPC, CCS-P, OCS


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## jeevipharma08@gmail.com (Nov 2, 2017)

*66982*

Hi, 



posterior capusle was worked in this chart, and also confirmed by 360 capsulorrhesis,

anterior only warrans 66984,

posterior done means 66282


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## dmichanne@comcast.net (Apr 18, 2018)

what was the end result?  I have doc's that want to bill the Healon 5 as complex as well...w/out additional techniques or devices. My main concern is that it's written in plural in the language.


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