AHA Coding Clinic® for HCPCS - 2025 Issue 2; Ask the Editor

Trypan blue: Complex cataract

A patient with a cataract presented for phacoemulsification with a posterior chamber intraocular lens placement. Trypan blue dye was instilled into the anterior chamber for better visualization. The coding community is torn on whether the use of intraocular dyes to stain the anterior lens capsule constitutes coding the procedure to the complex cataract CPT code 66982. CPT Assistant from March 2016 page 10 indicates that the use of dye alone during a cataract procedure does not justify the use of code 66982. However, CPT Assistant from July 2022 page 4 lists the use of dye to stain the anterior capsule as one of the techniques that are not typically used in routine cataract surgery. Is the use of intraocular dye alone to stain the anterior lens capsule enough to justify coding CPT 66982? ...

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