

Our technicians can handle many of these inquiries and can head off any uncomfortable situations to avoid such surprises. For example, technicians can discuss the fitting process, expected follow-up visits and appropriate fees depending on the patient’s prescription needs.įees can be a hurdle for some patients, and some are surprised that there’s an extra cost for this service. Discuss and Disclose Fees with a Contact Lens Agreement FormĪssign your staff to help with some of the contact lens-related duties. In addition, because “elective contact lenses” may be a covered benefit by your refractive carriers, it’s vital that you understand what your obligations are under your contract.ģ. If you’re prescribing and fitting for only one eye, add modifier -52 (for “reduced services”). Use CPT 92310, which is defined as: “Prescription of optical and physical characteristics of and fitting of contact lens, with medical supervision of adaptation corneal lens, both eyes, except for aphakia.” 1 The fee will most likely have a range from the least (straightforward evaluation) to the highest (very challenging). When setting the various levels of fees, it is important to consider whether it’s an established contact lens patient, a first-time multifocal wearer or a newly-diagnosed keratoconic patient. Differentiate the Coding for Elective Contact Lens WearersĬontact lens wearers do require more time and follow-up that additional service is worth something. Whether it is the doctor or a staff member who will discuss the process and go over the associated fees, this step needs to be done before the patient gets to the checkout desk.Ģ. Who is going to present the fees? Again, once you’ve determined that a patient is interested in wearing contact lenses, a conversation about the costs should be immediate and should take place right in the exam room.If it is your patient who initiates the discussion every time, you’re likely missing some opportunities.

Let the patient know that she or he is an excellent candidate for contact lens wear. Who is going to start the conversation about contact lenses? Is it going to be the doctor, a staff member or the patient who initiates this process? My recommendation is that the doctor or staff members should lead a proactive discussion about the contact lens options.Here are seven ways to make sure you do it right:Īnalyze your interaction with your patients from their perspective and break it down: Developing a strong foundation will, in turn, create a strong business revenue center. You may be missing a key opportunity if you neglect to promote your treatment protocol with contact lens wearers.

Advanced contact lens materials, designs and solution systems have improved our ability to provide a comfortable contact lens wearing experience-but being able to properly code and be reimbursed for your time, expertise and materials is critical to success. In the face of health care reform, contact lenses are vitally important to the optometric business model. (This lens will need to be altered to vault the cone area better.) Coding and billing for such a lens fit can be even trickier. Fitting a patient with keratoconus can be tricky.
