CPT 66821 · professional fee

After cataract laser surgery (CPT 66821): negotiated rates by payer and state

What UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna and Blue Cross Blue Shield pay for CPT 66821, from their published in-network rate files.

OphthalmologySnapshot Aug 2026Professional fee only

National summary

Commercial in-network, four payers combined, professional fee

Median rate

$393

P10 to P90: $276 to $759

vs Medicare

117%

non-facility rate $335.35

Payer spread

1.11×

BCBS $414 vs Cigna $372

State spread

4.8×

AK $1,254 to FL $260

4,675 sampled providers6,451 TINs51 statesSample-based · how this is calculated

What the data shows

Generated from this code's own numbers

Blue Cross Blue Shield has the highest median for CPT 66821 in the files analyzed, at $414, 11% above Cigna ($372), the lowest of the 4 payers shown.

The state spread is 4.8×: Alaska has the highest median at $1,254 and Florida the lowest at $260, a gap larger than the gap between the highest and lowest payer.

Commercial rates run 117% of the Medicare non-facility rate ($335.35), which ranks 170th of 228 tracked codes by commercial-to-Medicare ratio.

Rates are tightest within Aetna (interquartile range $148) and widest within UnitedHealthcare ($274).

This is a top-8 code for ophthalmology by Medicare allowed dollars, so it carries real revenue weight for that specialty.

Rates by payer

Median of per-provider median rates, with interquartile range

Payer	Median	P25	P75	vs national	Rank	Providers	Position
Blue Cross Blue Shield	$414	$313	$561	+5%	1	3,483	124% of Medicare
UnitedHealthcare	$408	$322	$596	+4%	2	3,834	122% of Medicare
Aetna	$383	$329	$478	-3%	3	3,333	114% of Medicare
Cigna	$372	$300	$526	-5%	4	3,783	111% of Medicare

Rate distribution

Box = P25 to P75, whiskers = P10 to P90, tick = median, dashed line = Medicare non-facility ($335.35)

Rates by state

Median across payers · 50 states with enough data

Rank	State	Median	vs national	Highest payer	Lowest payer	Providers
1	Alaska	$1,254	+219%	Aetna	BCBS	24
2	Nebraska	$719	+83%	UHC	Aetna	71
3	South Dakota	$700	+78%	Cigna	UHC	39
4	Iowa	$676	+72%	UHC	Aetna	93
5	Wisconsin	$672	+71%	BCBS	Aetna	100
6	North Dakota	$636	+62%	BCBS	Aetna	34
7	Oregon	$604	+54%	UHC	Aetna	100
8	Minnesota	$535	+36%	BCBS	Aetna	94
9	Idaho	$524	+33%	Aetna	UHC	57
10	Georgia	$518	+32%	Cigna	Aetna	115
11	Massachusetts	$516	+31%	UHC	Aetna	118
12	Connecticut	$512	+30%	UHC	Cigna	111
13	Montana	$488	+24%	UHC	BCBS	36
14	Vermont	$483	+23%	Cigna	UHC	35
15	Maine	$480	+22%	UHC	Aetna	64
16	Washington	$478	+21%	Aetna	Cigna	120
17	Illinois	$463	+18%	BCBS	Aetna	111
18	Mississippi	$443	+13%	Aetna	UHC	103
19	New Hampshire	$441	+12%	UHC	Aetna	56
20	Michigan	$434	+10%	BCBS	UHC	112
21	Hawaii	$433	+10%	Cigna	UHC	85
22	New Mexico	$431	+10%	UHC	BCBS	74
23	Colorado	$422	+7%	BCBS	Cigna	104
24	Kansas	$397	+1%	BCBS	Cigna	106
25	Louisiana	$386	-2%	Aetna	UHC	109
26	Tennessee	$379	-4%	Aetna	Cigna	121
27	New York	$371	-6%	Aetna	Cigna	110
28	Arkansas	$371	-6%	UHC	Aetna	92
29	Rhode Island	$370	-6%	Cigna	UHC	62
30	West Virginia	$361	-8%	Cigna	BCBS	78
31	Ohio	$354	-10%	UHC	BCBS	111
32	Texas	$350	-11%	Aetna	Cigna	123
33	Utah	$350	-11%	BCBS	UHC	116
34	Indiana	$346	-12%	UHC	Cigna	115
35	Missouri	$345	-12%	UHC	Cigna	110
36	Oklahoma	$344	-12%	BCBS	Aetna	112
37	Nevada	$341	-13%	UHC	Cigna	112
38	South Carolina	$340	-14%	Aetna	Cigna	103
39	Kentucky	$339	-14%	Cigna	BCBS	112
40	District of Columbia	$338	-14%	Aetna	BCBS	52
41	Virginia	$336	-15%	Aetna	Cigna	109
42	Maryland	$335	-15%	Aetna	BCBS	106
43	North Carolina	$327	-17%	Cigna	BCBS	119
44	Pennsylvania	$324	-18%	UHC	Cigna	116
45	Arizona	$323	-18%	Aetna	BCBS	109
46	Alabama	$319	-19%	Aetna	BCBS	111
47	New Jersey	$304	-23%	Aetna	Cigna	117
48	California	$301	-24%	UHC	BCBS	122
49	Delaware	$293	-26%	Aetna	UHC	47
50	Florida	$260	-34%	UHC	Cigna	112

Frequently asked questions

Answers use this page's data

Which payer has the highest median rate for CPT 66821?

In the files we analyzed, Blue Cross Blue Shield, at a median of $414 across 3,483 sampled providers. Cigna is lowest at $372, 11% lower than the highest.

How does the commercial rate compare with Medicare?

The national median is 117% of the 2026 Medicare non-facility rate of $335.35.

Which state has the highest median for CPT 66821?

Alaska has the highest median at $1,254; Florida has the lowest at $260.

Is this the surgeon, physician or facility payment?

These are professional (physician) fees only. Facility, device and implant payments are priced separately and are not included.

How current is this data?

It is the August 2026 snapshot of each payer's in-network rate file. Sources and filters are listed in the methodology below.

Methodology

How these numbers are calculated

Source: in-network negotiated-rate files published under the federal Transparency in Coverage rule, August 2026 snapshot: UnitedHealthcare Choice plans (74 files); Aetna commercial plans (70 files); Cigna national PPO (1 files); BCBS licensees' own-network files (5,387 files). Payer comparisons describe these files, not each payer's entire book of business.
Sample: rates come from a random sample of up to 150 providers per state and specialty. Counts on this page are sampled providers and TINs, not totals.
Which providers count: only providers in a specialty relevant to the code, because a rate in a payer file attaches to a provider group and is listed under every provider in that group.
Filters: fee-for-service, professional billing class, no modifier, negotiated or fee-schedule dollar rates. Rates outside 1% to 1,000% of the Medicare rate are excluded.
Statistic: one median rate per provider, then percentiles across providers. A cell is shown only with at least 15 sampled providers and 4 TINs.
Medicare benchmark: CY2026 national physician fee schedule, non-QPP conversion factor, unadjusted for locality. Where the non-facility rate is more than twice the facility rate (office rates that include device or supply cost), the facility rate is used so comparisons are like for like.

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