Where this LCD applies
Each contract number is a jurisdiction on the remittance; the policy binds claims processed under these contracts and no others.
| Contract | Contractor | Type | States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15102 | CGS Administrators, LLC | MAC - Part B | KY |
| 15202 | CGS Administrators, LLC | MAC - Part B | OH |
| 15101 | CGS Administrators, LLC | MAC - Part A | KY |
| 15201 | CGS Administrators, LLC | MAC - Part A | OH |
Billing and coding: diagnoses and procedure codes
Since 2019 the codes live in the companion article rather than the LCD. Billing and Coding A57071 (Billing and Coding: Ophthalmology: Posterior Segment Imaging (Extended Ophthalmoscopy and Fundus Photography)) carries the diagnosis and procedure lists the contractor loads as the claims edit. CPT codes are shown as bare numbers because the descriptors are licensed by the AMA; HCPCS Level II descriptors are public and shown.
A57071: Billing and Coding: Ophthalmology: Posterior Segment Imaging (Extended Ophthalmoscopy and Fundus Photography) (Billing and Coding, effective 2026-06-04)
- Covered ICD-10-CM codes
- 1698
- 3 groups
- Non-covered ICD-10-CM codes
- 0
- Procedure codes listed
- 5
- Full article
- cms.gov record
| ICD-10-CM | Description (FY2027) |
|---|---|
| A18.51 | — |
| A18.53 | — |
| A18.54 | — |
| A52.15 | — |
| B20 | Human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] disease |
| B39.9 | — |
| B58.01 | — |
| B58.09 | — |
| C69.01 | — |
| C69.02 | — |
| C69.11 | — |
| C69.12 | — |
| C69.20 | — |
| C69.21 | — |
| C69.22 | — |
| C69.30 | — |
| C69.31 | — |
| C69.32 | — |
| C69.40 | — |
| C69.41 | — |
| C69.42 | — |
| C69.51 | — |
| C69.52 | — |
| C69.61 | — |
Procedure codes: 92201, 92202, 92227, 92228, 92250.
Coverage indications, limitations and medical necessity
Abstract:
Fundus photography
Fundus photography involves the use of a retinal camera to document abnormalities of of the retina and disease processes affecting the eye, in order to follow the progress of such disease. The test must be used in the medical decision making for the patient.
Extended ophthalmoscopy
Extended ophthalmoscopy is the detailed examination of the retina and always includes a true drawing of the retina, with interpretation and report . It is most frequently performed utilizing an indirect lens, although it may be performed using contact lens biomicroscopy. It may require scleral depression and is usually performed with the pupil dilated. It is performed by the physician when a more detailed examination (including that of the periphery) is needed, following routine ophthalmoscopy. The examination must be used in the medical decision making for the patient.
Indications:
Fundus photography
Fundus photography may be indicated to document abnormalities of disease processes affecting the eye, or to follow the progress of such disease.
In order to document a disease process or follow the progress of a disease, photographs and an interpretation and report of the test may be necessary. Photographs and an interpretation and report of the test may also be necessary to plan treatment for a disease process.
Fundus photography may be used for the diagnosis of conditions such as macular degeneration, retinal neoplasms, choroid disturbances and diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis or other central nervous system anomalies.
Fundus photography may be indicated for examination of the retina in diabetic patients, in whom symptoms of visual disturbances may be present and in whom retinal examination may be unremarkable or normal.
Extended ophthalmoscopy
Extended ophthalmoscopy is indicated when the level of examination requires a complete view of the posterior segment of the eye and documentation is greater than that required for general ophthalmoscopy.
An extended ophthalmoscopy may be considered medically reasonable and necessary for the following conditions:
• Malignant neoplasm of the retina or choroid.
• Retained (old) intraocular foreign body, either magnetic or nonmagnetic. Signs and symptoms may include a statement by the patient that something has hit his/her eye (foreign body sensation), normal or blurred vision, pain or no discomfort, and tearing.
• Retinal hemorrhage, edema, ischemia, exudates and deposits, hereditary retinal dystrophies or peripheral retinal degeneration.
• Retinal detachment with or without retinal defect. The patient may complain of light flashes, dark floating specks, and blurred vision that becomes progressively worse. This may be described by the patient as "a curtain came down over my eyes."
• Symptoms suggestive of retinal defect (ex: flashes and/or floaters).
• Retinal defects without retinal detachment.
• Diabetic retinopathy (i.e., background retinopathy or proliferative retinopathy), retinal vascular occlusion, or separation of the retinal layers. This may be evidenced by microaneurysms, cotton wool spots, exudates, hemorrhages, or fibrous proliferation.
• Experienced sudden visual loss or transient visual loss.
• Chorioretinitis, chorioretinal scars or choroidal degeneration, dystrophies, hemorrhage and rupture, or detachment.
• Sustained a penetrating wound to the orbit resulting in the retention of a foreign body in the eye.
• Sustained a blunt injury to the eye or pariorbita.
• Disorders of the vitreous body (i.e., vitreous hemorrhage or posterior vitreous detachment). Spots before the eyes (floaters) and flashing lights (photopsia) can be signs/symptoms of these disorders.
• Posterior scleritis. Signs and symptoms may include severe pain and inflammation, proptosis, limited ocular movements, and a loss of a portion of the visual field.
• Vogt-Koyanagi syndrome. A condition characterized by bilateral uveitis, dysacousia, meningeal irritation, whitening of patches of hair (poliosis), vitiligo, and retinal detachment. The disease can be initiated by a severe headache, deep orbital pain, vertigo, and nausea.
• Degenerative disorders of the globe.
• Retinoschisis and retinal cysts. Patients may complain of light flashes and floaters.
• Signs and symptoms of endophthalmitis, which may include severe pain, redness, photophobia, and profound loss of vision.
• Glaucoma or is a glaucoma suspect. This may be evidenced by increased intraocular pressure or progressive cupping of the optic nerve.
• Systemic disorders which may be associated with retinal pathology.
• High axial length myopia
• Retinal edema
• Metamorphopsia
• High-risk medication for retinopathy or optic neuropathy.
• Choroidal nevus being evaluated for malignant transformation.
• Macular degeneration.
Limitations:
If the study is performed as a screening service, it is not covered by Medicare.
Fundus photography
• All tests must include a written interpretation. If an interpretation is not included in the same medical record with the photograph, then both the technical and professional components will be considered not medically necessary.
• Fundus photography are bilateral services on the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Data Base. Services performed unilaterally are subject to a reduction in fee.
• Fundus photography is not a substitute for an annual dilated examination by a qualified professional (e.g., in diabetic patients). Fundus photographs taken by a non-eye professional and sent (transtelephonically, via internet, or by other means) to a qualified professional for interpretation are covered for the monitoring and management of active retinal disease. The interpretation of tests done with remote imaging must be performed by a physician or qualified non-physician practitioner.
• Remote imaging for detection of retinal disease is considered screening and will be denied as non-covered.
• Provision of fundus photography, by providers other than opthalmologists or optometrists, as a screening test to facilitate referral to a specialist is contrary to requirements for testing as codified in 42CFR 410.32, and is therefore not covered. Furthermore, the ordering/performance of fundus photography by eye specialists prior to a face-to-face encounter is similarly not covered or reimbursable.
Extended ophthalmoscopy
• Extended ophthalmoscopy of a fellow eye without signs or symptoms or new abnormalities on general ophthalmoscopic exam will be denied as not medically necessary. Repeated extended ophthalmoscopy at each visit without change in signs, symptoms or condition may be denied as not medically necessary.
• General ophthalmoscopy and biomicroscopy are part of an ophthalmologic examination and are not separately payable, but these should still be documented in the patient's medical record.
• If indirect ophthalmoscopy is done without a drawing or does not meet the standards indicated in the attached Article (A57071), the service is not separately payable and will be considered part of a general ophthalmologic exam or E&M service.
• Extended ophthalmoscopy performed during the global surgery period of an ophthalmologic surgery procedure, by the same provider performing the surgery, will not be separately payable unless unrelated to the condition for which the surgery was performed.
• If the medical record does not include the interpretation and report, the extended ophthalmoscopy will be denied as not medically necessary.
• Extended ophthalmoscopy will be denied as not medically necessary when it is done in lieu of routine ophthalmoscopy unless the indication for this more extensive examination is documented in the medical record.
• When other ophthalmological tests (e.g., fundus photography, fluorescein angiography, ultrasound, optical coherence tomography, etc.) have been performed, extended ophthalmoscopy will be denied as not medically necessary unless there was a reasonable medical expectation that the multiple imaging services might provide additive (non-duplicative) information.
Summary of evidence (opening)
N/A
the full summary and analysis of evidence are in the CMS record.
Dates, lineage and related policies
- Original determination effective
- 2015-10-01
- Current revision effective
- 2026-06-04
- Last reviewed by the contractor
- 2026-05-27
- MCD version
- 30
- Derived from
- L31842
Using this policy on a claim
Match the documented indication to the covered indications above before the service is scheduled, carry a diagnosis from the article's covered list on the claim line, and keep the elements the documentation section asks for in the record, because the contractor can request it later through medical review. A denial under this policy arrives as CARC 50 with remark N115; the LCD lookup guide walks through the appeal path and the Advance Beneficiary Notice rules, and the CGS Administrators, LLC hub lists every other active policy from the same contractor.
The same policy title at other contractors
Contractors often adopt each other's policies and then revise them separately, so the criteria and the diagnosis lists drift apart. The topic comparison lines up every version.
Frequently asked questions
What does LCD L34399 cover?
Fundus photography involves the use of a retinal camera to document abnormalities of of the retina and disease processes affecting the eye, in order to follow the progress of such disease. The test must be used in the medical decision making for the patient. The full indications and limitations are reproduced on this page from the CMS Medicare Coverage Database export of September 24, 2026.
Which states does LCD L34399 apply to?
CGS Administrators, LLC applies it to Medicare claims in KY, OH. A Local Coverage Determination binds only the contractor that wrote it; the same service in another jurisdiction is judged under that contractor's own policy or, where none exists, claim by claim.
Which diagnosis codes support medical necessity under LCD L34399?
The companion billing and coding article A57071 lists 1,698 ICD-10-CM codes in 3 groups that support medical necessity; the first 24 appear on this page and the complete list is in the article on cms.gov.
How do I appeal a denial under LCD L34399?
The remittance carries claim adjustment reason code 50 with remark code N115, naming the LCD. Compare the documented indication with the policy's covered indications and the article's diagnosis list, then file a redetermination within 120 days with the record attached; if the service genuinely falls outside the policy, the patient can be billed only when a valid Advance Beneficiary Notice was obtained before the service.
Sources
Every figure on this page is taken from the CMS publications below, as released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Projection built 2026-10-02. Verify against the primary file before billing or contracting decisions.
- Medicare Coverage Database, current LCD exportVersion MCD release 2026-09-24 · effective 2026-09-20 · file lcd.csvSHA-256 2fcc4251b6ddd1eb…
- Medicare Coverage Database, current Billing and Coding Articles exportVersion MCD release 2026-09-24 · effective 2026-09-20 · file article.csvSHA-256 f31932f1df3b4035…
- ICD-10-CM FY2027 code descriptionsVersion FY2027 · effective 2026-10-01 · file icd10cm_codes_2027.txtSHA-256 3c0583a38ee0e848…
Disclaimer
The policy text and code lists are reproduced from the CMS Medicare Coverage Database export as an operational reference. Verify against the current LCD and article on cms.gov before billing; coverage depends on the full record and the contractor. Not legal, clinical or billing advice.