VEO Ophthalmics, LLC has announced that the American Medical Association (AMA) has issued three separate CPT® Category III Codes for “Insertion of Iris Prosthesis” (0616T, 0617T, and 0618T) effective July 1, 2020.
Earlier this year, the CUSTOMFLEX® ARTIFICIALIRIS was approved by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for transitional pass-through payment status, effective January 1, 2020. The HCPCS code for the CUSTOMFLEX® ARTIFICIALIRIS that is associated with pass-through payment is C1839 - Iris prosthesis.
Patients may have a damaged or missing iris from birth or as a result of ocular injuries or other trauma, disease, or surgery. They struggle to cope with symptoms related to the eye’s inability to control the level of incoming light, including light sensitivity, glare, halos, reading difficulty, and problems with night driving. Many face above-average risk of glaucoma and cataract formation as well.
The CUSTOMFLEX® ARTIFICIALIRIS is marketed as the only iris prosthesis available in the United States for use in children and adults for the treatment of iris defects resulting from congenital aniridia, acquired defects or other conditions associated with a completely or partially missing or damaged iris. FDA approved the CUSTOMFLEX® ARTIFICIALIRIS device on May 30, 2018.
“As we strive to expand patient access to the CUSTOMFLEX® ARTIFICIALIRIS, the new CPT codes for artificial iris implantation have been a priority for our organization. These CPT codes, combined with the transitional pass-through payment granted by CMS, expands patient access, and further enables both surgeons and surgical facilities to appropriately provide this solution to their patients who suffer from symptomatic aniridia,” said Ron Gilliland, President and CEO of VEO Ophthalmics.