No office rate
66820 opens the secondary membrane using an incisional technique with a blade or needle; 66821 opens it with a laser.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
66821 YAG laser capsulotomy Medicare reimbursement rates in Minnesota
Laser opening of an opacified posterior lens capsule or anterior hyaloid membrane after cataract surgery, reported per eye with a 90-day global period. Compare 66821 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Minnesota.
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 66821 in Minnesota?
Minnesota 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
$335.72
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Minnesota
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$273.86
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Minnesota
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.
Ophthalmic surgery
About 66821: Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy for posterior capsule opacification
Laser opening of an opacified posterior lens capsule or anterior hyaloid membrane after cataract surgery, reported per eye with a 90-day global period.
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.
CMS billing rules for 66821
- Global period
- Major surgery with a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care 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 RVU3.33 · 33%
- Practice expense (office) RVU6.46 · 64%
- Malpractice RVU0.25 · 2%
1.3M
Medicare services in 2024 · #119 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.
66821 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Minnesota, from the same CMS release.
$299.73
66761 creates a laser opening in the iris, often for angle-closure risk; 66821 targets a secondary membrane along the visual axis after cataract surgery.
No office rate
66830 surgically removes the secondary membrane through a corneoscleral incision; 66821 opens the membrane with a laser.
No office rate
66984 removes the original cataract and implants an intraocular lens; 66821 treats later membrane clouding that obstructs the visual axis.
Compare 66821 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
Minnesota →
Office / nonfacility
$335.72
Facility
$273.86
Need rates for a whole code list?
Fee-sheet and API access are in early access. Tell us which codes and locations your team needs.
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 66821 in Minnesota.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
7,396
- Code
- 66821
- Physician work
- 3.33
- Practice expense
- 6.46
- Malpractice
- 0.25
GPCI2026.csv
66
- Locality
- Minnesota
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 1.029
- Malpractice
- 0.296
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 3.33 | × 1.000 | 3.3300 |
| Practice expense | 6.46 | × 1.029 | 6.6473 |
| Malpractice | 0.25 | × 0.296 | 0.0740 |
| Total RVUs | 10.0513 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Minnesota$335.72
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 3.33 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 6.46 | 1.029 |
| Malpractice | 0.25 | 0.296 |
(3.33 × 1 + 6.46 × 1.029 + 0.25 × 0.296) × $33.4009 = $335.72
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 3.33 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 4.66 | 1.029 |
| Malpractice | 0.25 | 0.296 |
(3.33 × 1 + 4.66 × 1.029 + 0.25 × 0.296) × $33.4009 = $273.86
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.
66821 billing questions
Can additional laser sessions on the same eye be billed while completing the opening?
Do not report each stage needed to complete the same capsulotomy as a separate service. The code encompasses one or more stages.
Is modifier 79 automatic if treatment occurs during the cataract surgery global period?
No. Posterior capsule opacity after cataract extraction is not automatically an unrelated condition. Determine whether a separate procedure is reportable during the original surgeon's global period before selecting a postoperative modifier.
Can an eye examination on the day of laser treatment be billed?
Routine preoperative evaluation is included. A separately documented examination that results in the decision to perform this major procedure may be reported with modifier 57.
How is treatment of both eyes reported?
Use RT or LT for one eye. When both eyes are treated, Medicare's bilateral rule provides for modifier 50 and payment at 150%.
Is a surgical assistant payable for this procedure?
No. Medicare has a statutory restriction on assistant-at-surgery payment for 66821; co-surgeons and team surgery are 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 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.
7,39366762,,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
7,39666821,,After cataract laser surgery,A,,3.33,6.46,,4.66,,0.25,10.04,8.24,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,39766825,,Reposition intraocular lens,A,,8.78,12.39,NA,12.39,,0.69,21.86,21.86,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,39866830,,Removal of lens lesion,A,,9.23,8.11,NA,8.11,,0.72,18.06,18.06,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,39966840,,Removal of lens material,A,,8.95,8.02,NA,8.02,,0.71,17.68,17.68,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6314212,MA,99,REST OF MASSACHUSETTS,1.016,1.053,0.797
6408202,MI,01,DETROIT,1.000,0.965,1.686
6508202,MI,99,REST OF MICHIGAN,1.000,0.913,1.129
6606202,MN,00,MINNESOTA,1.000,1.029,0.296
6707302,MS,00,MISSISSIPPI,1.000,0.861,0.739
6805302,MO,02,METROPOLITAN KANSAS CITY,1.000,0.939,0.977
6905302,MO,01,METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS,1.000,0.952,1.002