Outpatient Facility Coding Alert

Question: How would I bill for capsular tension ring with a complex cataract?

Idaho Subscriber

Answer: For insertion of a capsular tension ring you should submit 66982 (Extracapsular cataract removal with insertion of intraocular lens prosthesis [1-stage procedure], manual or mechanical technique [e.g., irrigation and aspiration or phacoemulsification], complex, requiring devices or techniques not generally used in routine cataract surgery [e.g., iris expansion device, suture support for intraocular lens, or primary posterior capsulorrhexis] or performed on patients in the amblyogenic developmental stage).

The ICD-10 diagnosis code for this is H26.20 (Unspecified complicated cataract).

Tips: Report temporary code 0308T (Insertion of ocular telescope prosthesis including removal of crystalline lens) if the provider inserts an ocular telescope prosthesis, which is a tiny telescopic eye implant, and removes the crystalline lens. Extracapsular extraction involves removal of the eye lens, leaving the posterior capsule mostly intact. Intracapsular extraction entails the removal of both lens and the surrounding lens capsule.

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