Frequently patients ask about out of pocket costs associated with cataract surgery. Cataract surgery costs are generally categorized into 3 components.
- Professional fees provided by the cataract surgeon
- Costs for services by the surgical facility
- Costs for items and materials that are necessary to complete cataract surgery
Professional Fees Provided by the Cataract Surgeon
Fees for such services include the preoperative ocular examination, work-up and evaluation in preparation for the surgery. Services for such an evaluation may include a dilated examination, measurements for an intraocular implant determination or other tests that the eye surgeon deems appropriate before the operation. Included in these services could be the surgical and post-operative care.
Costs for Services by the Surgical Facility
Cataract Surgery
A surgical facility is responsible for providing the nursing, surgical technical staff, materials and supplies necessary to complete cataract surgery.
Items that fall under this category are the sterilization machines, the sterile tubing, intraoperative medicines, solutions, equipment and implants that will be used to complete surgery.
If an anesthesiologist is present they would expect reimbursement for anesthesia administration and for overseeing the anesthesia monitoring devices.
Costs for Items and Materials that are Necessary to Complete Cataract Surgery
Surgery related services include pre and post-operative medications, bandages, tapes and other items that could be provided by a patient’s regular pharmacy. In addition to such items a patient may elect to have specialty surgery services such as a laser assisted cataract surgery or a premium multiple focus implant.
Some of the above described services could be covered in part or in total by insurance or medical savings accounts.
The exact amount a patient must pay out of pocket cannot be precisely identified without knowing the insurance plan or the medical savings account details. It becomes important that when scheduling cataract surgery each patient bring the details of their medical savings plan and or an up to date insurance card so a proper investigation of benefits can clarify expected out of pocket expected expenses for cataract surgery.
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