Ophthalmology and Optometry Coding Alert

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

Delaware 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, your MAC 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) checkerboard or flash testing, central nervous system except glaucoma, with interpretation and report) 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.

You should include the PAM service in your E/M code (99202-99215) or your ophthalmological services code for the day (92002-92014).