Medicare Reimbursements for Cataract Surgery Vary.

Medicare reimbursements for complex cataract surgeries fail to account for the increased time, resources, and effort required by physicians compared to simple cataract surgeries, according to an economic analysis using time-driven activity-based costing. This discrepancy may affect doctors financially and potentially reduce access to care for people needing complex surgeries, highlighting the need for more accurate reimbursement rates. The study calculated that complex cataract surgery resulted in a financial loss of $646 compared to simple cataract surgery, despite costing $719 more on average.