102 | EYEWORLD | DECEMBER 2020
C
ORNEA
Contact
Miller: kmiller@ucla.edu
Srinivasan:
sathish.srinivasan@gmail.com
plus cataract surgery, and one for an iris/lens
exchange. Almost all of these patients are get-
ting other surgeries as well, he said, and those
can be billed in addition to the base CPT code.
Dr. Srinivasan also mentioned the cost
factor in the U.S.; in the U.K., the artificial iris
is covered. "We have to go through special per-
missions," he said. This involves filling out extra
paperwork to justify its use, but he said that the
price of the device has been covered for all of
his patients.
Reimbursement
With FDA approval still being relatively new, Dr.
Miller said reimbursement is difficult in that it's
inconsistent.
Medicare will cover the artificial iris, but
the device has to be ordered prior to surgery
and paid for first. It's then covered after the
surgery is complete. Being around $8,100 out of
pocket ahead of time, this can be a challenge for
patients.
Dr. Miller noted that there are three CPT
codes associated with artificial irises: one for the
artificial iris going in, one for the artificial iris
continued from page 101
Three months after implantation and scleral suture fixation of a HumanOptics artificial iris and intraocular lens, his cornea remained clear and
the artificial iris was both functional and cosmetically acceptable. The two 10-0 nylon sutures were removed subsequently.
Source: Kevin M. Miller, MD
