Ophthalmology and Optometry Coding Alert

Question: For billing purposes, is it mandatory that you take a blood pressure and temperature? Most argon laser treatments are considered office procedures.

Montgomery Eye Center, Naples, Fla.

Answer: For all surgical procedures, it is customary to do a pulse and a blood pressure. Temperature is not customary. Neither pulse, blood pressure nor temperature are required to bill argon laser treatments performed in an office. However, any surgical procedure performed in a hospital or ambulatory surgical center does require a pre-op pulse and blood pressure to be taken and recorded. Such requirements are not under the purview of Medicare, but are stipulated by the peer review organizations empowered by the federal Department of Health and Human Services.