Cataract surgery: how much does Medicare pay?

Nationally, the Q3 2026 Physician Fee Schedule pays $462.60 in an office (non-facility) setting and $462.60 in a facility setting for 66984. Your local amount differs — the national figure applies geographic index values of 1.000, and Medicare then pays 80% of the allowed amount after the deductible is met.

Procedure · Updated Aug 1, 2026

Cataract surgery: CPT code and Medicare rate

Removal of a clouded natural lens and insertion of an artificial lens implant, done in one sitting.

Also called: cataract removal, lens replacement surgery, cataract operation.

Usually billed as

66984 Cataract Surgery with Lens Implant

Office (non-facility): $462.60
Facility: $462.60

National amounts for the Q3 2026 release (July 1 – September 30, 2026), using geographic index values of 1.000. Your local rate differs — open the code page for the locality breakdown.

A YAG laser capsulotomy (66821) is a different, much smaller procedure done months or years later if the capsule behind the implant clouds over — sometimes called a secondary cataract.

Related codes

Codes worth checking before you settle on 66984.

Code	What it covers	Office	Facility
66821	YAG Laser Capsulotomy After Cataract Surgery	$335.35	$275.22

A dash means the code has no national amount in this release — it may be carrier-priced, bundled, or not separately payable. That is never the same as $0.

Common questions

Cataract surgery: which code is it?: 66984 — Cataract Surgery with Lens Implant. Removal of a clouded natural lens and insertion of an artificial lens implant, done in one sitting.
Cataract surgery: how much does Medicare pay?: Nationally, the Q3 2026 Physician Fee Schedule pays $462.60 in an office (non-facility) setting and $462.60 in a facility setting for 66984. Your local amount differs — the national figure applies geographic index values of 1.000, and Medicare then pays 80% of the allowed amount after the deductible is met.
Cataract surgery: what else affects the billing?: A YAG laser capsulotomy (66821) is a different, much smaller procedure done months or years later if the capsule behind the implant clouds over — sometimes called a secondary cataract.

Need the rate where you practice?

Every code page carries the full locality breakdown, the RVU and GPCI inputs, and the release that answered.

Open the code page

Keep exploring

All procedures How Medicare pays Office vs. facility rates Check a medical bill

This page maps everyday language to the code a claim normally carries. It is general information about how Medicare prices a service, not coding advice for a specific claim — the correct code always depends on what was actually documented and performed.

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