Wiki Global Days

[chrissyr]

If a procedure does not have a global period, are you allowed to bill an E&M for follow up visits?

 

[cgaston]

yes.

The rationale behind post-operative days is that the patient is going to require monitoring after their surgery so those visits are inherent to the procedure and are not separately payable. If the service has no post op days then it doesn't require monitoring so anything performed afterwards is billable.

 

[chrissyr]

yes.

The rationale behind post-operative days is that the patient is going to require monitoring after their surgery so those visits are inherent to the procedure and are not separately payable. If the service has no post op days then it doesn't require monitoring so anything performed afterwards is billable.

OK, so I tried to make my initial post as open-ended as possible so that I would get a general response (unrelated to a specific procedure). Thank you for your response.
Next question is: If your physician performed a simple laceration repair (which has 0 global days), would you charge an E&M when the patient returns for suture removal? I say yes, but there is debate within my organization.
Thanks for the help!

 

[cgaston]

According to the attached suture removal is not included in CPT 12001-12018 for Medicare patients (FAQ number 6). Hope it helps!

https://www.acep.org/Clinical---Practice-Management/Surgical-Package-FAQ/






(edited to clarify that it is for Medicare patients)

 

[chrissyr]

Thank you so much!! This is very helpful!