Fluorescein Angiography
Customize your policy alerts
Sign up for Arizona Complete Health Policy CP.VP.28 alerts
Get alerted when Policy CP.VP.28 changes without checking for updates manually.
Monitor payer policy activity
Medical necessity guidelines for intravenous fluorescein angiography (fluorescent angiography) for evaluation of retinal and choroidal circulation; applies to providers and patients covered by Arizona Complete Health (Centene/Envolve) plans as described in this policy.
No material clinical or coverage changes in this revision.
Coverage Criteria for Fluorescein Angiography
Medically Necessary Indications
Covered when ANY of the following indications are present (initial evaluation or symptomatic presentation) OR when specified follow-up timing criteria for disease monitoring are met:
See enumerated subitems in policy
Background retinopathy: intraretinal microaneurysms, hemorrhages and hard exudates; Proliferative retinopathy: neovascularization arising from the disc or retinal vessels.
Specific timing items appear under policy subitems
Diagnosis codes supporting coverage
Covered when a listed ICD-10-CM diagnosis code is present to support the covered ocular condition
Codes are listed by disease group and laterality (diabetic retinopathy, other specified diabetes, inflammatory and other retinal/choroidal disorders, etc.); no additional clinical logic is specified in this section
No explicit exclusions are listed in this portion of the clinical policy.
No explicit exclusions are stated in the diagnosis code listings; this section only enumerates ICD-10-CM codes that support coverage for fluorescein angiography.
When state Medicaid coverage provisions conflict with this clinical policy, state Medicaid provisions take precedence. For Medicare members, applicable Medicare NCDs, LCDs, and Medicare Coverage Articles should be reviewed and take precedence where relevant.
No explicit 'Not Medically Necessary' conditions are specified in this segment of the policy.
No explicit 'not medically necessary' statements appear in the diagnosis code sections; the document portion lists codes that support coverage rather than describing noncoverage scenarios.
Coding — Procedure and Diagnosis Codes
| 92235 | Fluorescein angiography (includes multi-frame imaging) with interpretation and report |
| A18.53 | Tuberculous chorioretinitis |
| B20 | Human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] disease |
| B39.4 | Histoplasmosis capsulati unspecified |
| B39.5 | Histoplasmosis duboisii |
| B39.9 | Histoplasmosis, unspecified |
| B58.01 | Toxoplasma chorioretinitis |
| C69.21 | Malignant neoplasm of right retina |
| C69.22 | Malignant neoplasm of left retina |
| C69.31 | Malignant neoplasm of right choroid |
| C69.32 | Malignant neoplasm of left choroid |
| E10.3313 | Type 1 diabetes mellitus with moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy with macular edema, bilateral |
| E10.3391 | Type 1 diabetes mellitus with moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy without macular edema, right eye |
| E10.3392 | Type 1 diabetes mellitus with moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy without macular edema, left eye |
| E10.3393 | Type 1 diabetes mellitus with moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy without macular edema, bilateral |
| E10.3411 | Type 1 diabetes mellitus with severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy with macular edema, right eye |
| E10.3412 | Type 1 diabetes mellitus with severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy with macular edema, left eye |
| E10.3413 | Type 1 diabetes mellitus with severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy with macular edema, bilateral |
| E10.3491 | Type 1 diabetes mellitus with severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy without macular edema, right eye |
| E10.3492 | Type 1 diabetes mellitus with severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy without macular edema, left eye |
| E10.3493 | Type 1 diabetes mellitus with severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy without macular edema, bilateral |
| H35.23 | Other non-diabetic proliferative retinopathy, bilateral |
| H35.3111 | Nonexudative age-related macular degeneration, right eye, early dry stage |
| H35.3112 | Nonexudative age-related macular degeneration, right eye, intermediate dry stage |
| H35.3113 | Nonexudative age-related macular degeneration, right eye, advanced atrophic without subfoveal involvement |
| H35.3114 | Nonexudative age-related macular degeneration, right eye, advanced atrophic with subfoveal involvement |
| H35.3121 | Nonexudative age-related macular degeneration, left eye, early dry stage |
| H35.3122 | Nonexudative age-related macular degeneration, left eye, intermediate dry stage |
| H35.3123 | Nonexudative age-related macular degeneration, left eye, advanced atrophic without subfoveal involvement |
| H35.3124 | Nonexudative age-related macular degeneration, left eye, advanced atrophic with subfoveal involvement |
| H35.3131 | Nonexudative age-related macular degeneration, bilateral, early dry stage |
Provider Actions, Documentation, and Prior Authorization
Coding and CPT inclusion disclaimer
CPT 92235 (Fluorescein angiography with interpretation and report) is the referenced procedure code for this clinical policy. Inclusion or exclusion of any codes does not guarantee coverage; providers should reference the most current CPT coding guidance and payer billing rules prior to claim submission.
- Affected CPT: 92235 — Fluorescein angiography (includes multi-frame imaging) with interpretation and report
Diagnosis codes (supporting coverage)
The policy lists ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes that support medical necessity for fluorescein angiography. Use an appropriate, specific diagnosis code that reflects the patient’s retinal condition when requesting authorization or submitting claims.
- Examples of supporting diagnoses (non-exhaustive): E10.3313, E10.3391–E10.3493, E10.3411–E10.3522 (various diabetic retinopathy codes)
- Select the most specific laterality and complication code available
Prior authorization note
Providers must follow Health Plan-level administrative policies for prior authorization if applicable. The clinical criteria define medical necessity, but prior authorization requirements (where required by the plan) are determined by the payer’s administrative processes.
- Confirm whether Arizona Complete Health requires prior authorization for CPT 92235 before scheduling the procedure
- If prior authorization is required, submit clinical documentation demonstrating how the member meets the medical necessity criteria in this policy
No authorization or denial triggers stated
This section lists diagnoses and clinical indications that support coverage only; it does not create automatic authorization or denial triggers. Authorization or denial decisions are based on a combination of submitted clinical documentation, payer-specific administrative requirements, and any applicable coverage rules.
- Provide clinical notes, ophthalmoscopy findings, imaging, and any prior treatment details to support medical necessity
- Do not assume a listed ICD-10 code alone will result in approval
Payer-specific precedence
Payer-specific and program-specific coverage provisions take precedence where applicable. For Medicaid members, state Medicaid coverage provisions override this clinical policy when there is a conflict. For Medicare members, applicable National Coverage Determinations (NCDs), Local Coverage Determinations (LCDs), and Medicare Coverage Articles should be reviewed and applied.
- Medicaid: follow the state Medicaid manual for any coverage provisions that pertain to fluorescein angiography
- Medicare: review applicable NCDs, LCDs, and Medicare Coverage Articles on the CMS website prior to applying this policy
Required cross-checks with public coverage determinations
Providers should cross-check requests against public coverage determinations and payer guidance before submitting. Ensure consistency with NCDs, LCDs, Medicare Coverage Articles, and applicable state Medicaid manuals to avoid denials or delays.
- Review CMS (https://www.cms.gov) for NCDs, LCDs, and Coverage Articles relevant to fluorescein angiography
- Check the state Medicaid manual for Medicaid members and Arizona Complete Health administrative policy for plan-specific rules
Background
Fluorescein angiography is a diagnostic imaging technique that uses intravenous sodium fluorescein and blue light photography to evaluate retinal and choroidal circulation. It is used to detect leaking capillaries, neovascularization, microaneurysms, and retinal pigment epithelium defects, and provides a permanent photographic or electronic record essential for diagnosis and treatment planning. Baseline color and red‑free (black‑and‑white) images are taken prior to injection, and the procedure is reported using CPT code 92235.
Definitions and Key Terms
OpenPayer is powered by Trek Health's payer performance platform. Trek continuously ingests, validates, and normalizes Transparency in Coverage data alongside payer policies and other commercial payer data to create a structured payer intelligence foundation. OpenPayer uses this foundation to deliver personalized search results, dynamically generated policy pages, and tailored policy monitoring based on each user's payers, specialties, billing codes, and areas of interest. The same intelligence powers broader payer performance workflows, including reimbursement benchmarking, contract evaluation, payer negotiations, and financial decision-making.