FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

CPT code 65710: Corneal transplant, lamellar technique2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports a partial-thickness corneal transplant that replaces diseased corneal layers while retaining healthy host layers, rather than replacing the full cornea.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities323 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $982.99 for 65710 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 65710

Corneal transplant, lamellar technique

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
14.09
Total RVUs
29.43
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$982.99

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 65710 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 65710 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 65710 covers

An ophthalmic surgeon performs a lamellar corneal transplant to replace diseased corneal tissue while preserving healthy layers of the patient’s cornea. The graft is partial thickness, distinguishing this operation from a full-thickness penetrating transplant. It is generally performed in an operating room, with the surgeon documenting the corneal condition and the layers replaced.

Select this code when the operative report supports a lamellar transplant; use the applicable penetrating or endothelial transplant code when the documented technique is different. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons are paid only with supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.

This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.

Where 65710 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

65710 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$907.28
AlaskaUnavailable$1,232.20
ArizonaUnavailable$962.84
ArkansasUnavailable$897.76
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$999.58
Austin, TXUnavailable$1,007.16
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$1,022.74
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$1,034.11
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$937.59
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$974.18

65710 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

Explore a state

Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

View every state and territory as a table
65710 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the 65710 rate is calculated

Each of 65710’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

How the rate is built · 65710

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work14.09

14.09 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense14.21

14.21 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice1.13

1.13 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

29.4300

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$982.99

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 65710

65710 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 65710

Corneal transplant, lamellar technique

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)1Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.10/0.70/0.20Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 65710

Corneal transplant, lamellar technique

90-day global period ends

Dec 30, 2026

Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).

Visit on Oct 31, 2026

Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.

  • 24Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 50 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

65710 without 50 · national facility

$982.99

Corneal transplant, lamellar technique

65710-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$1,474.49

Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).

When to use modifier 50

65710 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 65710

    Corneal transplant, lamellar technique14.09 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 65730

    Corneal transplant, penetrating graft15.94 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 65755

    Corneal transplant, penetrating, pseudophakic eye16.37 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 65756

    Corneal transplant, endothelial keratoplasty16.42 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

65730Corneal transplantPenetrating graft
Use 65710 for a partial-thickness lamellar graft. Use 65730 for a full-thickness penetrating graft when the eye is not aphakic.
65755Corneal transplantPenetrating, pseudophakic eye
Both are corneal transplants, but 65755 describes a penetrating graft in a pseudophakic eye; 65710 is selected for a lamellar technique.
65756Corneal transplantEndothelial keratoplasty
65756 is for an endothelial transplant technique. Choose 65710 when the documented procedure is a lamellar transplant rather than an endothelial graft.

Codes related to 65710

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

Codes related to 65710
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
65730Corneal transplant, penetrating graftPenetrating corneal transplant code for cases other than aphakia.No office rate
65750Corneal transplant, penetrating, aphakic eyePenetrating corneal transplant code for an aphakic eye.No office rate
65755Corneal transplant, penetrating, pseudophakic eyePenetrating corneal transplant code for a pseudophakic eye.No office rate
65756Corneal transplant, endothelial keratoplastyEndothelial corneal transplant procedure, distinct from lamellar technique selection.No office rate

65710 billing questions

How does this differ from a penetrating corneal transplant?

This code is for a partial-thickness lamellar graft that preserves healthy host layers. A penetrating transplant replaces the full thickness of the cornea and is reported with the code matching the patient’s lens status.

What documentation supports selecting the lamellar code?

The operative report should describe the transplant technique and identify the corneal tissue layers replaced and retained. A diagnosis alone does not establish that the procedure was lamellar.

Are related postoperative visits separately included?

Related postoperative care during the 90-day global period is included, as is the day-before preoperative visit. The global period does not include unrelated services.

How is the code reported when both eyes are treated?

For a bilateral procedure, report modifier 50; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
RVUs for 65710PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 7,327 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 65710 pays?

Tell us what you were actually trying to work out. We’ll answer you directly, or build the page that does.

Fee sheets · Coming soon

Put 65710 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

Your codes at your locality, with payer contracts beside Medicare.

Join the waitlist