Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Birmingham Cataract Surgery & Lens Implant Cost

Birmingham Cataract Surgeon Marc Michelson, M.D. commented on the cost of Cataract Surgery and Lens Implants. “The administrative staff at Alabama Eye & Cataract Center works with each patient to explain and understand the cost of Cataract Surgery and Lens Implants because honestly-it can really get a little confusing for most patients,” stated Dr. Michelson. “Although just about all insurances and Medicare cover the bulk of the cost of Cataract Surgery and basic Lens Implants, deductibles, co-pays and the extent to which certain services are or are not covered can affect the actual amount you might need to pay out of pocket,” he further explained. Here are some helpful guidelines and information about the cost of Cataract Surgery and Lens implants at Alabama Eye & Cataract Center:

Preoperative Testing and Consultation
With the exception of co-pays and deductibles specific to your insurance plan the eye examination, consultation and measurements necessary for Cataract Surgery and basic Intraocular Lens (IOL) implantation are covered services. If there are specialized tests that might be required such as more precise types of testing for multifocal lens implants or toric lens implants, you may need to pay for these tests out of pocket as your insurance and Medicare may only cover the basic testing. If this is the case these extra tests may range in cost up to a few or several hundred dollars depending on the scope of the necessary testing.

Surgery Center Facility Fee
The surgery center facility fee is generally covered by insurances and Medicare although there may be a small co-pay or deductible with certain plans. This fee will cover the use of the facility including the operating room, the nursing staff, the instrumentation and equipment and all related operating room supplies. Depending on the types of anesthesia used it is possible that there will be an additional fee-mostly covered by your insurance or Medicare-for the administration of anesthesia and the staff.

Cataract Surgeon’s Fee
The Cataract Surgeon’s fee is generally covered by insurances and Medicare although there may be a small co-pay or deductible with certain plans.

Lens Implant Fee
The cost of a basic Monofocal lens implant is generally covered by insurances and Medicare within the facility fee. However, should you and your Cataract Surgeon elect to use an astigmatism correcting toric lens implant or multifocal lens implant there will be an out of pocket fee as most insurances and Medicare do not cover these more advanced types of Lens Implants. If you or someone you know has questions about the cost of Cataract Surgery and Lens Implant please feel free to call Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham at 205-930-0930.

Michelson Laser Vision and Alabama Eye & Cataract Center are leading eye care centers in Birmingham staffed by a team of specialists including eye doctors who are fellowship trained cornea specialists and cataract and lens implant specialists-all board certified Ophthalmologists-as well as Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser eye surgery such as LASIK for laser vision correction, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, care for diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma.