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Ophthalmology and Optometry Coding Alert

READER QUESTIONS:

Don't Confuse PAM With VEP

Published on Wed Apr 26, 2006

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


Ohio Subscriber
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 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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