US · guidance
CMS Pub. 100-03, ch. 1, § 140.5
Laser Procedures
Medicare recognizes the use of lasers for many medical indications. Procedures performed with lasers are
sometimes used in place of more conventional techniques. In the absence of a specific non-coverage
instruction, and where a laser has been approved for marketing by the Food and Drug Administration, A/B
MAC discretion may be used to determine whether a procedure performed with a laser is reasonable and
necessary and, therefore, covered.
The determination of coverage for a procedure performed using a laser is made on the basis that the use of
lasers to alter, revise, or destroy tissue is a surgical procedure. Therefore, coverage of laser procedures is
restricted to practitioners with training in the surgical management of the disease or condition being treated.
History
(Rev. 173, Issued: 09-04-14, Effective: Upon Implementation: of ICD-10, Implementation: Upon Implementation of ICD-10)
Provenance
- Source
- cms.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-08-25
- Edition
- iom-2026-08-25
- Content hash
7b1f2e7ef2679e857930cdc5b131382666534ba19d7ea99b305c527a87dbc59c
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