Ophthalmology and Optometry Coding Alert

Reader Question:

95930: PAM or VEP?

Published on Sat Nov 13, 2010

Question: Is 95930 the correct procedure code for potential visual acuity meter? Can this code be billed with a comprehensive exam code?

Answer: There is no CPT code for the potential acuity meter (PAM) test, also known as the Guyton-Minkowski Potential Acuity Meter. Medicare carriers consider PAM to be an integral part of the evaluation and management service; therefore, they will not reimburse PAM separately from an eye exam or E/M visit.

Ophthalmologists often use PAM to estimate potential vision prior to cataract surgery.

The basics: The PAM projects an eye chart directly onto the retina, bypassing the cloudy lens, giving the ophthalmologist a way to see how much the patient's vision may improve after surgery.

Code 95930 (Visual evoked potential [VEP] testing central nervous system, checkerboard or flash) describes a neurological test in which electrodes measure the electrical activity in the visual pathways of the patient's brain. The VEP can evaluate conditions like optic neuritis, optic tumors and multiple sclerosis.

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