$439.02
Choose 66761 for a laser opening through the peripheral iris; 66762 is for laser reshaping of the iris, with or without an opening.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
66761 Laser iridotomy Medicare reimbursement rates in Alabama
An ophthalmologist uses laser energy to create an opening in the peripheral iris, commonly to address narrow angles or angle-closure risk. Compare 66761 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Alabama.
Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.
What does Medicare pay for 66761 in Alabama?
Alabama has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$271.83
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Alabama
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$186.78
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Alabama
One mapped payment locality.
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Ophthalmology
About 66761: Laser peripheral iridotomy for angle closure
An ophthalmologist uses laser energy to create an opening in the peripheral iris, commonly to address narrow angles or angle-closure risk.
This procedure creates an opening through the peripheral iris with laser energy so aqueous fluid can pass between the posterior and anterior chambers. Ophthalmologists commonly perform it at a slit lamp in an office setting for eyes with narrow or occludable angles, including treatment or prevention of angle closure. The service is distinct from reshaping the iris with laser or removing iris tissue through an incision.
Report the service for the laser iridotomy session, not by laser pulse or opening. Documentation should identify the treated eye or eyes, the angle-closure indication, and the laser treatment performed. CMS assigns a 10-day global period, which includes related postoperative visits during that period. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. For bilateral treatment, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 66761
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 10-day global period: related postoperative visits for 10 days are included.
- Multiple procedures
- Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- Assistant at surgery
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU2.93 · 33%
- Practice expense (office) RVU5.81 · 65%
- Malpractice RVU0.22 · 2%
48.2K
Medicare services in 2024 · #795 by national volume
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.
66761 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Alabama, from the same CMS release.
$404.91
66740 describes an incisional iridectomy for glaucoma. Use 66761 when the documented treatment is a laser-created iris opening.
$487.44
66770 is for removal of an iris lesion. It is not the code for a laser opening used to address narrow angles.
Compare 66761 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
1 of 1 payment localities
Alabama →
Office / nonfacility
$271.83
Facility
$186.78
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How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 66761 in Alabama.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
7,392
- Code
- 66761
- Physician work
- 2.93
- Practice expense
- 5.81
- Malpractice
- 0.22
GPCI2026.csv
4
- Locality
- Alabama
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.875
- Malpractice
- 0.566
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 2.93 | × 1.000 | 2.9300 |
| Practice expense | 5.81 | × 0.875 | 5.0837 |
| Malpractice | 0.22 | × 0.566 | 0.1245 |
| Total RVUs | 8.1383 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Alabama$271.83
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 2.93 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 5.81 | 0.875 |
| Malpractice | 0.22 | 0.566 |
(2.93 × 1 + 5.81 × 0.875 + 0.22 × 0.566) × $33.4009 = $271.83
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 2.93 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 2.9 | 0.875 |
| Malpractice | 0.22 | 0.566 |
(2.93 × 1 + 2.9 × 0.875 + 0.22 × 0.566) × $33.4009 = $186.78
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
66761 billing questions
How is this different from 66762?
66761 creates an opening through the peripheral iris. Code 66762 describes laser reshaping of the iris, with or without an iridotomy.
Is the code reported per eye or per laser pulse?
Report the service by treatment session, not by pulse or individual opening. For bilateral treatment, CMS specifies modifier 50 payment at 150%.
Are postoperative checks separately reported during the global period?
Related postoperative visits for 10 days are included in the global period.
What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and the other procedure or procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be paid for this procedure?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted under the CMS rules for this code.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense, and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.
Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.
7,38966711,,Ecp ciliary body destruction,A,,5.48,7.45,NA,7.45,,0.43,13.36,13.36,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,3,1,1,0,0,9,66710,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,39066720,,Destruction ciliary body,A,,4.63,9.18,,5.83,,0.37,14.18,10.83,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,39166740,,Destruction ciliary body,A,,5.01,7.87,,4.63,,0.40,13.28,10.04,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,39266761,,Revision of iris,A,,2.93,5.81,,2.90,,0.22,8.96,6.05,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,39366762,,Revision of iris,A,,5.25,8.75,,5.32,,0.42,14.42,10.99,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,39466770,,Removal of inner eye lesion,A,,5.98,9.54,,5.99,,0.47,15.99,12.44,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,39566820,,Incision secondary cataract,A,,3.91,8.41,NA,8.41,,0.29,12.61,12.61,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1ADDENDUM E. FINAL CY 2026 GEOGRAPHIC PRACTICE COST INDICES (GPCIs) BY STATE AND MEDICARE LOCALITY,,,,,,
2,,,,,,
3Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC),State,Locality Number,Locality Name,2026 PW GPCI (with 1.0 Floor)***,2026 PE GPCI,2026 MP GPCI
410112,AL,00,ALABAMA,1.000,0.875,0.566
502102,AK,01,ALASKA*,1.500,1.065,0.551
603102,AZ,00,ARIZONA,1.000,0.969,0.856
707102,AR,13,ARKANSAS,1.000,0.859,0.515