CCI 20.0 Updates for Ophthalmology

CCI version 20.0 went into effect on January 1, 2014 and this time it includes hundreds of procedures with the new code for insertion of an aqueous drainage device.

 If your ophthalmic surgeon has started using CPT® code 66183, you should make note of the latest directives from the Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) 20.0 so your claims are successful.
CPT® code 66183 (insertion of anterior segment aqueous drainage device, without extraocular reservoir, external approach) describes an eye surgeon’s ability to use a single-piece stainless-steel implant which reduces intraocular pressure (IOP). So when you implant a surgical device in the treatment of refractory open-angle glaucoma to reduce intraocular pressure, you should use this code.
More than 200 procedure codes have been bundled into CPT® code 66183, such as:

• Integumentary surgical repair (closure) procedure codes 12001-13153
• Venous procedure codes 36000-36410 and 36420-36440
• Arterial procedure codes 36600 and 36640
• Naso- or oro-gastric tube placement code 43752
• Bladder catheter codes 51701-51703
• Spinal therapeutic injection codes 62310-62319

Medicare and CCI consider the work in the  procedures listed above to be an integral part of the work carried out in the code 66183; as such they are not billable separately.
Some of the code pairs (such as the bundling of the surgical repair procedures into 66183) are marked with a modifier indicator “1”.) This allows you to report the codes separately with the correct modifier with relevant clinical circumstances. Others are marked with modifier indicator “0”, which means that you can never report the codes separately under any circumstances.
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