CPT code 66821: YAG laser capsulotomy, laser discission of secondary membrane2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Austin, TX

In Austin, TX, Medicare pays $347.13 for 66821 in the office and $283.52 when it’s performed in a hospital or facility.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 66821 nationwide

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

What 66821 covers

This procedure treats clouding of the posterior lens capsule behind an intraocular lens after cataract extraction. An ophthalmologist uses a laser, usually an Nd:YAG laser, to create an opening that clears the visual axis. The target may include an opacified anterior hyaloid membrane. Treatment is commonly performed in an ophthalmology office or ambulatory surgery center without a surgical incision.

Select 66821 for laser discission of the secondary membrane, including one or more stages needed to complete the capsulotomy; document the affected eye, examination findings, reason for treatment, and laser procedure. Report unilateral treatment with the appropriate laterality modifier. For treatment of both eyes, Medicare pays bilateral reporting with modifier 50 at 150%. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period that includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures at 50%. Assistant-at-surgery payment is statutorily restricted; co-surgeons and team surgery are 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.

How Austin, TX compares for 66821

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the office rate for 66821 runs from $300.87 in Arkansas to $439.08 in San Benito County, CA. Austin, TX pays $347.13. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

66821 rates by state

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

See 66821 in every payment locality

How the 66821 rate is calculated

Each of 66821’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.

Payment rules and modifiers for 66821

66821 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 50

Codes related to 66821

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

How 66821 has changed in Austin, TX

Price 66821 for an earlier date of service

Where the Austin, TX rate applies

Austin, TX is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 31 cities and communities in Texas. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• 66821 in Austin · multiple payment areas
• Barton Creek
• Bee Cave
• Briarcliff
• 66821 in Cedar Park · multiple payment areas
• 66821 in Creedmoor · multiple payment areas
• 66821 in Elgin · multiple payment areas
• Garfield

Browse all communities in Texas

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

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates