Summary & Overview
CPT 67030: Pars Plana Vitreous Strand Section
CPT code 67030 denotes a pars plana approach to cutting vitreous strands — a targeted vitreous surgery used to relieve vitreous traction or remove vitreous adhesions affecting the retina or other intraocular structures. Nationally, accurate coding for this microsurgical ophthalmic procedure matters for appropriate claims adjudication, quality measurement, and resource planning in surgical ophthalmology.
Key payers included in the analysis are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise clinical context for the procedure, typical sites of service, and the common billing considerations tied to this code. The publication also presents payer coverage patterns and benchmark comparisons where available, plus notes on documentation and coding scenarios relevant to ophthalmic surgeons and billing teams.
This summary equips clinical leaders, billing specialists, and policy analysts with an overview of CPT code 67030 utility, where it is typically performed, and the payer landscape for national-level considerations. Data not available in the input is explicitly noted in the detailed sections.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 67030 describes a surgical procedure in which the provider cuts vitreous strands through a pars plana incision. This procedure is a form of vitreous surgery intended to release vitreous traction or remove vitreous strands that affect intraocular structures.
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Service type: Surgical vitreous procedure (pars plana vitrectomy/segmental vitreous cutting)
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Typical site of service: Hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center
Data not available in the input for associated taxonomies, ICD-10 diagnoses, and related codes.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is a 65-year-old phakic or pseudophakic adult presenting with symptomatic vitreous strands, floaters, or persistent vitreous traction following retinal tear repair or complicated cataract surgery. The patient reports decreased visual quality from visually significant vitreous opacities or exhibits persistent vitreous traction causing macular disturbance identified on clinical exam and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Pre-procedure workflow includes ophthalmic evaluation by a retina specialist, informed consent, dilation, preoperative imaging (OCT and fundus photography), review of anticoagulation status, and discussion of anesthesia (local retrobulbar or general for complex cases).
On the day of service, the patient is prepared in an operating room or ambulatory surgery center. Under sterile conditions, the surgeon creates a pars plana incision and uses a vitreous cutter to cut vitreous strands (vitrectomy maneuvers) to relieve traction or remove opacities. Intraoperative adjuncts may include infusion, endolaser, or intraocular tamponade depending on findings. Postoperatively, the patient is recovered in the PACU with topical antibiotics and steroids, scheduled for short-interval follow-up with the retina specialist, and given activity and positioning instructions if a tamponade agent is used.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
00 | No modifier | Standard reporting when no modifier applies |