What is the Global Period?
Under the rule of Medicare physician fee schedule, procedures are paid inclusively according to a defined time period of either 10 or 90 days of the post-operative schedule. This is what we call ‘The Global Period’. It includes the value and services that have been provided as the pre- and post- surgical procedure.
Surgical services can be typed into two main categories; the minor surgery that involves only 10 days of post-operative period and the major surgery that implicates a 90 days post-operative period. CMS measures the quality and quantity of the services provided during the Global Period for certain extensive volume procedures.
The main categories of a Global Period:
• 0 Days-
Procedures like endoscopic and minor surgeries that already have pre- and postoperative relative values, included in the fee schedule amount. The E/M service performed on the same day are usually not distinctively reimbursed.
• 10 Days-
Minor procedures that have relative pre-operative values inclusive of the day of the procedure and a 10 days post-operative value, included in the fee schedule payment. The E/M services performed on the day and during the Global Period of 10 days post-operative, are usually not distinctively reimbursed.
• 90 Days-
Major surgeries that involve a period of the pre-operative day and a 90 days post-operative period along with the day of the procedure, are all included in the fee schedule amount. The E/M services performed on the day of the procedure and during the Global Period of 90 days as post-operative, are not usually distinctively reimbursed.
• MMM-
The pre-defined Global Period does not apply. A 42 days Global Period is allocated for certain maternity codes by Medica.
• XXX-
The code does not follow the Global Period concept.
• YYY-
A 0-day Global Period concept is allocated to such codes by Medica. However, the matter is subjected to dedication and individual pricing, whether to assign the Global Period or not.
• ZZZ-
Billed with another service, ZZZ codes are the add-on codes. No post-operative Global Period charges are included by the addition of this code in the National Physician fee schedule amount. The Global Period concept is also not applicable to the code.
