Via: The Health Law Partners | Permalink
In the Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) Advisory Opinion 11-14, dated October 7, 2011, the OIG analyzes an arrangement in which Requestor is an opthalmic physician group practice that provides cataract surgeries and also employs optometrists. By way of brief background, generally, patients receiving cataract surgery may elect to have either a conventional intraocular lens (“Conventional IOL”) or a premium intraocular lens (“Premium IOL”) (Premium IOLs have the ability to correct preexisting refractive problems whereas Conventional IOLs do not). Medicare covers Conventional IOLs when reasonable and necessary, but only partially covers the professional and facility fees associated with Premium IOLs as Premium IOLs are significantly more expensive. When billing Medicare, cataract surgery is a global surgical procedure in which the physician is reimbursed one global fee covering the pre-operative care, the surgery and the post-operative care for the ninety (90) days following the surgery. If a physician transfers the patient to another healthcare professional during the “global surgical period,” the healthcare provider must use either modifier -54 (surgical care only) or -55 (post-operative management only).