Summary & Overview
CPT 92288: Dark Adaptation/Rod Function Screening Test
CPT code 92288 represents a diagnostic screening procedure that measures how the eye’s rods recover and adapt to darkness, often reported using parameters such as rod recovery intercept time. This test is clinically important for detecting rod-mediated retinal dysfunction that can signal early retinal degenerations, retinopathies, or other conditions affecting night vision. Nationally, accurate coding and interpretation of this screening are relevant for specialty eye practices and hospital outpatient departments managing retinal disease.
Key payers discussed include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of the code’s clinical purpose, typical sites of service, and the kinds of documentation expected with the test and interpretation. The publication also summarizes available benchmarks, coverage considerations, and recent policy developments that affect utilization and reporting for dark adaptation/rod function screening. Clinical context on when the test is applied and what results signify is provided to help billing, coding, and clinical staff align documentation with payer expectations.
This report is intended for a national audience and focuses on practical coding context, payer coverage patterns, and documentation practices relevant to CPT code 92288.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 92288 describes a screening test that evaluates how a patient’s eyes adapt to darkness, focusing on basic measures of rod function. The procedure may include measurements such as rod recovery intercept time, with the provider responsible for interpreting the test results and producing a written report.
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Service type: Diagnostic screening test of retinal/rod function
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Typical site of service: Ophthalmology clinic, retinal specialty center, or hospital outpatient department
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Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 58-year-old patient with progressive night vision difficulty is referred to an ophthalmology specialty clinic. The patient reports increasing difficulty seeing in dim light over several months and has a family history of retinal dystrophy. The clinic schedules a rod function screening test to assess scotopic retinal performance. The service is performed in an outpatient ophthalmology clinic or hospital outpatient department equipped for electrophysiologic/psychophysical retinal testing. The patient is prepped in a darkened testing room; pupils may be dilated per clinician preference. The provider or trained technician performs the standardized screening test that measures how the patient’s eyes adapt to darkness (including parameters such as rod recovery and rod intercept time), documents test conditions, interprets the results, and generates a written report. Typical workflow includes review of referral and history, informed consent, test administration (often requiring a period of dark adaptation), data acquisition, clinician interpretation, and report entry into the medical record. Results guide further diagnostic testing (for example, full electroretinography, imaging, or genetic testing) and inform management decisions related to retinal degenerations, toxicities, or other rod-mediated visual dysfunctions.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
25 | Significant, Separately Identifiable E/M Service by the Same Physician on the Same Day | Use when a distinct evaluation and management visit is performed on the same day as the screening test and documentation supports a separate, significant service. |