Ophthalmology and Optometry Coding Alert

66711 joins the list of covered procedures for ambulatory surgery centers

Until now, coders in ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) were in a bind. Many ASCs were using endoscopic lasers to treat the ciliary body, and ASC coders were happy to see a new code for the procedure in 2005. The problem: The new code did not appear on the list of covered procedures for ASCs, and Medicare rules prevented coders from using any other code to describe the service.
 
In July, CMS will correct its mistake. Medicare Transmittal 155, released May 9, 2005, explains the agency's plans to add CPT code 66711 (Ciliary body destruction; cyclophotocoagulation, endoscopic) to its list of covered procedures for ASCs. The code, introduced with CPT 2005, was inadvertently left off of the list that became effective in January 2005 - meaning that coders in ASCs had no way to report endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation to Medicare.
 
After CMS implements the change on July 1, ASCs may report 66711 to Medicare. "Procedures performed between January 1, 2005, and July 1, 2005, may be billed retrospectively using the new code 66711 and payment may be made at the payment group 2 level," CMS says in the transmittal.
 
Note: To download this transmittal, visit www.cms.hhs.gov/manuals/pm_trans/R155OTN.pdf.