No office rate
66840 reflects aspiration removal; 66850 is selected when the surgeon uses phacofragmentation with aspiration.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
66840 Lens aspiration Medicare reimbursement rates in Pennsylvania
Reports cataract lens removal by aspiration, commonly for soft lens material when the surgeon uses aspiration rather than phacofragmentation or a pars plana approach. Compare 66840 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Pennsylvania.
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 66840 in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$567.26–$611.47
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
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.
Cataract surgery
About 66840: Lens material aspiration removal
Reports cataract lens removal by aspiration, commonly for soft lens material when the surgeon uses aspiration rather than phacofragmentation or a pars plana approach.
An ophthalmic surgeon uses an aspiration method to remove lens material from the eye, typically during cataract surgery when the material can be removed without phacofragmentation. The service may involve one or more stages of aspiration. It is distinct from treating a secondary membrane after cataract surgery and from removing lens material through a pars plana approach.
Choose this code when the operative report supports aspiration as the removal technique. Document the treated eye, the lens material addressed, and the operative steps; the record should distinguish aspiration from phacofragmentation or a pars plana route. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 66840
- 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 RVU8.95 · 51%
- Practice expense (office) RVU8.02 · 45%
- Malpractice RVU0.71 · 4%
3K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2163 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.
66840 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Pennsylvania, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Choose 66852 when lens material is removed through a pars plana approach, rather than the aspiration approach represented by 66840.
No office rate
66830 treats a secondary membranous cataract, not lens material removed during cataract surgery.
No office rate
66984 represents standard cataract extraction with intraocular lens insertion; 66840 describes aspiration removal of lens material without that combined service.
Compare 66840 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Metropolitan Philadelphia →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$611.47
Rest Of Pennsylvania →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$567.26
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66840 billing questions
How is 66840 distinguished from 66850?
Use 66840 when the operative documentation supports aspiration as the removal method. Code 66850 describes removal using phacofragmentation with aspiration.
When is 66852 a better fit?
66852 is for lens-material removal through a pars plana approach. The operative approach, rather than the material alone, separates it from 66840.
Does 66840 describe treatment of a secondary cataract membrane?
No. It concerns removal of lens material; 66830 addresses removal of a secondary membranous opacity.
How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative billing?
The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period.
How is bilateral surgery reported and paid?
For bilateral surgery, report modifier 50; CMS pays the procedure at 150%.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be billed for 66840?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted by statute. 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.
7,39666821,,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
7,40066850,,Removal of lens material,A,,10.29,8.95,NA,8.95,,0.82,20.06,20.06,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,40166852,,Removal of lens material,A,,11.12,9.25,NA,9.25,,0.89,21.26,21.26,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,0,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,40266920,,Extraction of lens,A,,9.88,8.34,NA,8.34,,0.79,19.01,19.01,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,0,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00