Cost analysis for CPT 66984 — Removal of cataract with insertion of lens
Average Medicare Payment
$329.81
2023 data
Total Payments (2023)
$1.6B
Services (2023)
7.1M
Price Change (2014–2023)
-12.7%
| Year | Avg Payment | Total Payments | Services | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $377.65 | $1.7B | 6.9M | — |
| 2015 | $362.21 | $1.7B | 7.2M | -4.1% |
| 2016 | $358.44 | $1.7B | 7.7M | -1.0% |
| 2017 | $354.90 | $1.7B | 7.7M | -1.0% |
| 2018 | $356.35 | $1.8B | 8.4M | +0.4% |
| 2019 | $357.43 | $1.8B | 8.7M | +0.3% |
| 2020 | $344.91 | $1.3B | 5.9M | -3.5% |
| 2021 | $330.51 | $1.6B | 7.4M | -4.2% |
| 2022 | $325.19 | $1.5B | 7.3M | -1.6% |
| 2023 | $329.81 | $1.6B | 7.1M | +1.4% |
The most expensive state pays 17.0x more than the cheapest for this procedure. CA averages $693.02 vs KY at $40.69.
| State | Avg Payment | Total Payments | Services | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA | $693.02 | $153.9M | 222.0K | 1.3K |
| NJ | $670.97 | $52.4M | 78.1K | 371 |
| GU | $650.65 | $522.5K | 803 | 5 |
| HI | $644.60 | $6.2M | 9.6K | 70 |
| AK | $642.22 | $5.0M | 7.8K | 58 |
| MD | $626.96 | $43.6M | 69.6K | 253 |
| DE | $593.45 | $8.8M | 14.9K | 54 |
| NV | $586.76 | $14.6M | 24.8K | 120 |
| AZ | $583.75 | $42.8M | 73.3K | 268 |
| FL | $571.08 | $118.5M | 207.5K | 944 |
| CO | $568.36 | $26.9M | 47.3K | 277 |
| WA | $560.09 | $44.3M | 79.2K | 455 |
| TX | $555.93 | $113.0M | 203.2K | 992 |
| OR | $544.17 | $21.7M | 40.0K | 263 |
| PA | $534.57 | $65.0M | 121.6K | 665 |
| ID | $521.92 | $11.1M | 21.3K | 146 |
| VI | $518.80 | $296.2K | 571 | 4 |
| UT | $516.89 | $11.7M | 22.7K | 146 |
| PR | $506.22 | $986.1K | 1.9K | 41 |
| NM | $503.15 | $10.0M | 19.9K | 60 |
| LA | $502.84 | $19.2M | 38.1K | 210 |
| MT | $487.46 | $9.5M | 19.6K | 122 |
| IN | $475.05 | $39.5M | 83.1K | 451 |
| MS | $471.76 | $21.3M | 45.1K | 235 |
| MI | $466.62 | $33.6M | 72.1K | 484 |
| DC | $457.33 | $1.4M | 3.0K | 30 |
| NE | $445.92 | $15.2M | 34.2K | 202 |
| KS | $434.76 | $20.3M | 46.8K | 302 |
| AR | $434.06 | $18.8M | 43.3K | 208 |
| OK | $433.60 | $24.4M | 56.3K | 352 |
| NY | $425.18 | $70.6M | 166.1K | 677 |
| WY | $413.14 | $3.0M | 7.2K | 75 |
| SD | $405.24 | $8.5M | 21.0K | 126 |
| CT | $398.81 | $12.7M | 31.9K | 145 |
| MO | $386.50 | $31.3M | 81.0K | 423 |
| ND | $345.49 | $6.4M | 18.4K | 104 |
| IA | $335.25 | $17.3M | 51.6K | 343 |
| NH | $310.74 | $8.5M | 27.5K | 59 |
| VT | $211.57 | $2.5M | 12.0K | 21 |
| MA | $197.98 | $46.5M | 235.0K | 325 |
| SC | $170.96 | $37.5M | 219.1K | 265 |
| GA | $156.34 | $42.4M | 271.0K | 411 |
| VA | $133.25 | $52.6M | 394.4K | 378 |
| TN | $119.09 | $40.7M | 341.4K | 454 |
| OH | $113.29 | $49.6M | 437.7K | 534 |
| RI | $81.01 | $3.0M | 36.8K | 42 |
| IL | $72.86 | $56.0M | 768.2K | 572 |
| WV | $71.99 | $5.5M | 76.7K | 91 |
| NC | $70.80 | $43.1M | 608.2K | 584 |
| AL | $70.64 | $18.4M | 261.1K | 283 |
| MN | $54.62 | $16.9M | 309.8K | 302 |
| Provider | Specialty | State | Payments | Services | Avg/Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Drive Surgery Center, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | NJ | $5.0M | 5.0K | $988.32 |
| Island Eye Surgicenter Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | NY | $4.2M | 4.3K | $969.85 |
| Roanoke Valley Center For Sight Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | VA | $3.8M | 5.0K | $763.29 |
| Sight Partners, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | WA | $3.8M | 4.4K | $872.06 |
| Specialty Surgical Center, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | CA | $3.5M | 3.5K | $985.73 |
| Long Island Ambulatory Surgery Center, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | NY | $3.3M | 3.4K | $974.61 |
| Ophthalmology Surgery Center Of Dallas, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | TX | $3.3M | 4.1K | $801.52 |
| Virginia Surgery Center, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | VA | $3.1M | 4.0K | $779.86 |
| Stony Point Surgery Center, L.L.C | Ambulatory Surgical Center | VA | $3.0M | 3.7K | $818.00 |
| Endo Group, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | NY | $3.0M | 3.1K | $978.89 |
| Peninsula Eye Surgery Center Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | CA | $2.9M | 2.4K | $1209.60 |
| Laser & Surgical Services At Center For Sight Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | FL | $2.9M | 3.5K | $821.85 |
| West Suburban Eye Surgery Center Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | MA | $2.9M | 3.3K | $870.88 |
| Dupage Eye Surgery Center, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | IL | $2.8M | 3.3K | $844.40 |
| Eye Surgery Centers Of Arizona, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | AZ | $2.8M | 3.3K | $840.49 |
| Rockville Eye Surgery Center, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | MD | $2.8M | 3.3K | $829.12 |
| St Lukes Surgical Center Inc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | FL | $2.8M | 3.5K | $794.08 |
| Virginia Eye Institute Inc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | VA | $2.6M | 3.3K | $787.90 |
| Scottsdale Eye Surgery Center, P.C | Ambulatory Surgical Center | AZ | $2.6M | 3.1K | $831.09 |
| Surgery Center Of Northern Colorado | Ambulatory Surgical Center | CO | $2.5M | 3.0K | $834.81 |
The data suggests significant pricing inconsistencies for CPT 66984. With a 17.0x price gap between the most and least expensive states, geography plays an outsized role in what Medicare pays for this procedure.
While costs have decreased 12.7% since 2014, the wide state-by-state variation suggests the pricing formula may not adequately account for regional differences.
This analysis is based on publicly available CMS data and does not account for patient complexity, comorbidities, or facility-specific factors that may justify pricing differences.
Note: All data is from publicly available Medicare records. OpenMedicare is an independent journalism project not affiliated with CMS.