Advanced Search

Podiatry Coding & Billing Alert

Reader Questions:

Count H&P in Global for Surgery

Published on Sat Jan 23, 2010

Question: I understand that I cannot bill for an H&P if there is a global because it is included in the surgery. Can we bill for an H&P if there is no global period? California Subscriber Answer: You cannot separately bill for the history and physical (H&P) your physician performs even for a procedure with a zero-day global period. Even when there is no global period associated with a code, there is an inherent E/M built into the fee for the code and as such this H&P is not a billable service. Bottom line: Every code's global package includes the preoperative work performed by the physician before the procedure or service. Therefore, unless the E/M service is significant and separately identifiable, you cannot bill it. Unless the office visit is medically necessary to reevaluate a condition, such as diabetes or hypertension, that may affect the proposed procedure, you should not [...]
You’ve reached your limit of free articles. Already a subscriber? Log in.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe today to continue reading this article. Plus, you’ll get:
  • Simple explanations of current healthcare regulations and payer programs
  • Real-world reporting scenarios solved by our expert coders
  • Industry news, such as MAC and RAC activities, the OIG Work Plan, and CERT reports
  • Instant access to every article ever published in your eNewsletter
  • 6 annual AAPC-approved CEUs*
  • The latest updates for CPT®, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, NCCI edits, modifiers, compliance, technology, practice management, and more
*CEUs available with select eNewsletters.

Other Articles in this issue of

Podiatry Coding & Billing Alert

View All