FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

CPT code 66985: Lens implantation, secondary implant2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports placement of an intraocular lens in an aphakic eye after the natural lens was removed in an earlier procedure.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities5.4K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $658.67 for 66985 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 66985

Lens implantation, secondary implant

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
9.73
Total RVUs
19.72
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$658.67

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 66985 →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 66985 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 66985 covers

An ophthalmologist uses this service to place an intraocular lens in an eye that lacks its natural lens, typically after cataract extraction or other prior lens removal. It represents a later implant procedure, rather than lens placement during the same operation as cataract removal. The procedure is commonly performed in an operating room or ambulatory surgery center; the surgeon documents the eye’s lens status and the method used to position and secure the implant.

Report the code for the secondary implant, with laterality supported in the operative record. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. For bilateral reporting with modifier 50, CMS pays 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted by statute; co-surgeon payment requires 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 66985 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

66985 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$608.80
AlaskaUnavailable$829.29
ArizonaUnavailable$645.34
ArkansasUnavailable$602.54
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$669.86
Austin, TXUnavailable$674.13
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$684.02
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$692.55
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$629.14
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$652.70

66985 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
66985 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 66985 rate is calculated

Each of 66985’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 · 66985

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work9.73

9.73 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense9.20

9.20 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice0.79

0.79 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

19.7200

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$658.67

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 66985

66985 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 66985

Lens implantation, secondary implant

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)1Not paid (statutory restriction).
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 · 66985

Lens implantation, secondary implant

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

66985 without 50 · national facility

$658.67

Lens implantation, secondary implant

66985-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$988.01

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

66985 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 66985

    Lens implantation, secondary implant9.73 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 66984

    Cataract surgery, standard, without ECP or drainage device7.17 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 66986

    Lens exchange, removal and replacement11.95 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 66982

    Cataract surgery, complex, without ECP9.99 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

66984Cataract surgeryStandard, without ECP or drainage device
Use 66984 when cataract removal and lens implantation occur in the same operation. Use 66985 for lens placement after the natural lens was removed previously.
66986Lens exchangeRemoval and replacement
66986 describes exchange of an existing intraocular lens. 66985 describes secondary implantation when an intraocular lens is absent.
66982Cataract surgeryComplex, without ECP
66982 is for complex cataract removal with lens implantation in the same operation; 66985 is for a later implant procedure.

Codes related to 66985

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

Codes related to 66985
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
66984Cataract surgery, standard, without ECP or drainage deviceLens implantation occurs during cataract removal, rather than in a later secondary procedure.No office rate
66982Cataract surgery, complex, without ECPComplex cataract removal with lens implantation during the same operation.No office rate
66983Cataract extraction, intracapsular with lens implantLens implantation accompanies cataract removal in a single-stage procedure.No office rate
66986Lens exchange, removal and replacementReplaces an existing intraocular lens instead of placing a secondary implant in an aphakic eye.No office rate

66985 billing questions

How is this different from 66984?

66985 is for implanting a lens after the natural lens was removed in an earlier procedure. 66984 describes cataract removal with lens implantation during the same operation.

When would 66986 be considered instead?

66986 is for exchanging an existing intraocular lens. Use 66985 when the eye needs a secondary implant rather than replacement of an implant already in place.

What documentation supports 66985?

Document the eye’s aphakic status, the reason for secondary implantation, laterality, and operative details of lens placement and fixation.

How does the bilateral payment rule work?

CMS pays 150% when the bilateral procedure is reported with modifier 50. The operative documentation should support treatment of both eyes.

What postoperative care is included?

The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

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 66985PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 7,408 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 66985 pays?

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

Fee sheets

Put 66985 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

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

Build my fee sheet