changing dry eye disease in your practice

Implementing TearLab

"TearLab overall has led to the quality and image of our practice that we are very proactive in identifying problems where we can take care of them and give our patients the best possible clinical outcomes."

Doug Devries, OD - Eye Care Associates of Nevada

Implementing TearLab – The Importance of Abnormal and Normal Results

“You have to expand the universe of things you’ll consider in the face of the patient that is truly symptomatic, but actually has a normal tear osmolarity.”

- Dr. Darrell White, SkyVision Centers

Implementing TearLab in Your Surgical Practice^†

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"When patients come in with typical dry eye complaints, such as eye irritation, blurry vision, redness and so on, it triggers our protocol. The staff performs a tear osmolarity test and the InflammDry test, which measures the matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) marker of inflammation in the tears."

Dr. Preeya Gupta - Duke University

"The objective measurements and images we can obtain now are so useful, and we can share the information with our patients. They love to see numbers, and they love to see images they can understand. These tools serve three main functions: diagnosis, patient education, and treatment tracking."

Dr. Kendall Donaldson - Bascom Palmer Eye Institute

"Testing cataract surgery patients for OSD is increasingly the norm, given its importance in achieving the best possible outcomes."

Dr. Kendall Donaldson - Bascom Palmer Eye Institute

"It is important to realize that as ophthalmologists with surgical practices, we can’t ignore OSD. Ignoring it would be like saying we’re internists but we don’t want to monitor blood pressure. OSD is the most common reason people seek eye care."

Dr. Neda Shamie - Advanced Vision Care, Los Angeles

"To encourage buy-in at our practice, we spent a half day having staff members go through our dry eye protocol as if they were patients."

Dr. Neda Shamie - Advanced Vision Care, Los Angeles

"One might think a normal results would not make sense in a patient who presents with dry eye symptomology and is perhaps also exhibiting corneal or conjunctival staining. In fact, it can be just as important a clue as an abnormal result."

Dr. Elizabeth Yeu - Virginia Eye Consultants

"Making use of objective testing, specifically tear osmolarity testing and meibography, has made me a more efficient and proficient dry eye doctor and surgeon. Adding tear osmolarity testing and meibography to the clinical examination creates a much smoother process."

Dr. Elizabeth Yeu - Virginia Eye Consultants

successful adoption

How point-of-care testing can grow your contact lens practice by aiding in lens selection, treatment recommendations and patient education.

“Osmolarity testing allows us to catch early patients at risk of dry eye, fit patients in lenses that they’re most likely to wear with success, and set appropriate expectations. It shows the need to address contact lens fitting from a proper and essential clinical perspective, and differentiates you from the “800 Contact Lens” competition.”

“If osmolarity reveals that there’s a barrier to successful wear, we treat it first, so we have the best chance of keeping the patient happy in their lenses. The osmolarity score also aids in setting realistic expectations with a multifocal lens. When patients know that their osmolarity score is too high, they’re less likely to conclude that multifocal contact lenses—or worse, your clinical skills—are to blame.”

Paul Karpecki, OD and Ian Benjamin Gaddie, OD

How osmolarity testing can help guide contact lens selection and make patients feel good about choosing healthier options—even when they cost more.

“Osmolarity testing allows you to justify your clinical decision-making in a way that patients can easily understand. When this quick test shows that osmolarity is high, it opens the door to a conversation about why trying something new is in the patient’s best interest.”

David Geffen, OD and Paul Karpecki, OD

Osmolarity testing allows you to justify your clinical decision-making in a way that patients can easily understand. When this quick test shows that osmolarity is high, it opens the door to a conversation about why trying something new is in the patient’s best interest.

“If this test leads you to properly diagnose ocular surface disease and prevent contact lens dropout, the economic return potential is significant.”

“Osmolarity testing also helps you manage dry eye more efficiently because, even though symptoms are usually the last thing to improve, improvement in osmolarity scores offers piece of mind that the patient is on the right path.”

John Rumpakis, OD, MBA, and Paul Karpecki, OD

Changing Contact Lens Dropout In Your Practice Create a tear osmolarity testing protocol

U.S. reimbursement

TearLab is a laboratory test.

The TearLab Osmolarity System is an in vitro laboratory device and, as such, testing for Medicare patients is billed under the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule. Unlike the Physician Fee Schedule, Medicare patient co-payments or deductibles do not apply to services billed under the laboratory fee schedule, covered services are 100% reimbursed.

More on reimbursement Reimbursement FAQs

*CPT is a copyright and registered trademark of the American Medical Association (AMA).

What is CPT* Code 83861?

83861, Microfluidic analysis utilizing an integrated collection and analysis device, tear osmolarity.

What fee schedule is 83861 paid from?

83861 is paid from the Medicare Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS), not the Physician Fee Schedule.

Is Tearlab's Tear Osmolarity Test described in 83861?

Yes.

reimbursement canada

TearLab is a laboratory test.

The TearLab Osmolarity System is an in vitro laboratory device and, as such, testing for Medicare patients is billed under the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule. Unlike the Physician Fee Schedule, Medicare patient co-payments or deductibles do not apply to services billed under the laboratory fee schedule, covered services are 100% reimbursed.

More on reimbursement Reimbursement FAQs

*CPT is a copyright and registered trademark of the American Medical Association (AMA).

What is CPT* Code 83861?

83861, Microfluidic analysis utilizing an integrated collection and analysis device, tear osmolarity.

What fee schedule is 83861 paid from?

83861 is paid from the Medicare Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS), not the Physician Fee Schedule.

Is Tearlab's Tear Osmolarity Test described in 83861?

Yes.

reimbursement rest of the world

TearLab is a laboratory test.

The TearLab Osmolarity System is an in vitro laboratory device and, as such, testing for Medicare patients is billed under the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule. Unlike the Physician Fee Schedule, Medicare patient co-payments or deductibles do not apply to services billed under the laboratory fee schedule, covered services are 100% reimbursed.

More on reimbursement Reimbursement FAQs

*CPT is a copyright and registered trademark of the American Medical Association (AMA).