Physicians Who Furnish the Entire Global Package

Physicians who furnish the surgery and furnish all of the usual pre-and post-operative work may bill for the global package by entering the appropriate CPT code for the surgical procedure only. Separate billing is not allowed for visits or other services that are included in the global package. When different physicians in a group practice participate in the care of the patient, the group practice bills for the entire global package if the physicians reassign benefits to the group. The physician who performs the surgery is reported as the performing physician.

Physicians Who Furnish Part of a Global Surgical Package

More than one physician may furnish services included in the global surgical package. It may be the case that the physician who performs the surgical procedure does not furnish the follow-up care. Payment for the post-operative, post-discharge care is split among two or more physicians where the physicians agree on the transfer of care. When more than one physician furnishes services that are included in the global surgical package, the sum of the amount approved for all physicians may not exceed what would have been paid if a single physician provided all services, except where stated policies allow for higher payment. For instance, when the surgeon furnishes only the surgery and a physician other than the surgeon furnishes pre-operative and post-operative inpatient care, the resulting combined payment may not exceed the global allowed amount. The surgeon and the physician furnishing the post-operative care must keep a copy of the written transfer agreement in the beneficiary’s medical record. Where a transfer of care does not occur, the services of another physician may either be paid separately or denied for medical necessity reasons, depending on the circumstances of the case. Split global-care billing does not apply to procedure codes with a zero day post-operative period.

Using Modifiers “-54” and “-55”

Where physicians agree on the transfer of care during the global period, services will be distinguished by the use of the appropriate modifier:

• Surgical care only (modifier “-54”); or

• Post-operative management only (modifier “-55”). For global surgery services billed with modifiers “-54” or “-55,” the same CPT code must be billed. The same date of service and surgical procedure code should be reported on the bill for the surgical care only and post-operative care only. The date of service is the date the surgical procedure was furnished. Modifier “-54” indicates that the surgeon is relinquishing all or part of the post-operative care to a physician.

• Modifier “-54” does not apply to assistant-at-surgery services.

• Modifier “-54” does not apply to an Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC’s) facility fees. The physician, other than the surgeon, who furnishes post-operative management services, bills with modifier “-55.”

• Use modifier “-55” with the CPT procedure code for global periods of 10 or 90 days.

• Report the date of surgery as the date of service and indicate the date care was relinquished or assumed. Physicians must keep copies of the written transfer agreement in the beneficiary’s medical record.

• The receiving physician must provide at least one service before billing for any part of the post-operative care.

• This modifier is not appropriate for assistant-at- surgery services or for ASC’s facility fees.

Exceptions to the Use of Modifiers “-54” and “-55”

Where a transfer of care does not occur, occasional  post-discharge services of a physician other than the surgeon are reported by the appropriate E/M code. No modifiers are necessary on the claim.
Physicians who provide follow-up services for minor procedures performed in emergency departments bill the appropriate level of E/M code, without a modifier. If the services of a physician other than the surgeon are required during a post-operative period for an underlying condition or medical complication, the other physician reports the appropriate E/M code. No modifiers are necessary on the claim. An example is a cardiologist who manages underlying cardiovascular conditions of a patient.

GLOBAL SURGERY PERIOD

Louisiana Medicaid’s global surgery period (GSP) policy differs from Louisiana Medicare policy.

• Medicaid does not pay for the day before, the day of, and the assigned GSP after surgery. Louisiana Medicaid assigns a GSP 1, 10, or 90 days. If you look at the  Professional Fee Schedule, the Global Surgery Period can be found in column 11.

• If a procedure has a GSP of “1”, the provider cannot bill for an evaluation and management service (E/M) the day before or the day of the procedure.

• If a procedure has a GSP of “10”, the provider cannot bill for an E/M service the day before, the day of, or 10 days following the procedure.

• If a procedure has a GSP of “90”, the provider cannot bill for an E/M service the day before, the day of, or 90 days following the procedure.

• Error code 690 (payment included in surgery fee) results when an E/M service is denied for a date of service within the GSP of the surgery or procedure that has been paid.

• Error code 691 (visit paid in GSP; void visit, rebill surgery) results when a surgery or procedure is denied because an E/M service has been paid for a date of service within the GSP of the surgery or procedure. The paid claim for the E/M service must be voided before the claim for the surgery or procedure can be considered for payment.

• E/M services should be billed separately only if the diagnosis and service rendered are unrelated to the diagnosis of the GSP procedure. If a visit is to be billed for a date of service within the GSP for unrelated diagnosis, it should be filed on a claim form separate from that of the GSP surgery or procedure.

Surgeons and Global Surgery

A national definition of a global surgical package has been established to ensure that payment is made consistently for the same services across all carrier jurisdictions, thus preventing Medicare payments for services that are more or less comprehensive than

intended. The national global surgery policy became effective for surgeries performed on and after January 1, 1992.

The instructions that follow describe the components of a global surgical package and payment rules for minor surgeries, endoscopies and global surgical packages that are split between two or more physicians. In addition, billing, mandatory edits, claims review, adjudication, and postpayment instructions are included.

In addition to the global policy, uniform payment policies and claims processing requirements have been established for other surgical issues, including bilateral and multiple surgeries, co-surgeons, and team surgeries.

Definition of a Global Surgical Package

Field 16 of the Medicare Fee Schedule Data Base (MFSDB) provides the postoperative periods that apply to each surgical procedure. The payment rules for surgical procedures apply to codes with entries of 000, 010, 090, and, sometimes, YYY.

Codes with “090” in Field 16 are major surgeries. Codes with “000” or “010” are either minor surgical procedures or endoscopies.

Codes with “YYY” are carrier-priced codes, for which carriers determine the global period (the global period for these codes will be 0, 10, or 90 days). Note that not all carrier-priced codes have a “YYY” global surgical indicator; sometimes the global period is specified.

While codes with “ZZZ” are surgical codes, they are add-on codes that are always billed with another service. There is no postoperative work included in the fee schedule payment for the “ZZZ” codes. Payment is made for both the primary and the add-on codes, and the global period assigned is applied to the primary code.

A.Components of a Global Surgical Package

Carriers apply the national definition of a global surgical package to all procedures with the appropriate entry in Field 16 of the MFSDB.

The Medicare approved amount for these procedures includes payment for the following services related to the surgery when furnished by the physician who performs the surgery. The services included in the global surgical package may be furnished in any setting, e.g., in hospitals, ASCs, physicians’ offices. Visits to a patient in an intensive care or critical

care unit are also included if made by the surgeon. However, critical care services (99291 and 99292) are payable separately in some situations.

*Preoperative Visits – Preoperative visits after the decision is made to operate beginning with the day before the day of surgery for major procedures and the day of surgery for minor procedures;

*Intra-operative Services – Intra-operative services that are normally a usual and necessary part of a surgical procedure;

*Complications Following Surgery – All additional medical or surgical services required of the surgeon during the postoperative period of the surgery because of complications which do not require additional trips to the operating room;

*Postoperative Visits – Follow-up visits during the postoperative period of the surgery that are related to recovery from the surgery;

*Postsurgical Pain Management – By the surgeon;
*Supplies – Except for those identified as exclusions; and
*Miscellaneous Services – Items such as dressing changes; local incisional care; removal of operative pack; removal of cutaneous sutures and staples, lines, wires, tubes, drains, casts, and splints; insertion, irrigation and removal of urinary catheters, routine peripheral intravenous lines, nasogastric and rectal tubes; and changes and removal of tracheostomy tubes.

B.Services Not Included in the Global Surgical Package

Carriers do not include the services listed below in the payment amount for a procedure with the appropriate indicator in Field 16 of the MFSDB. These services may be paid for separately.

*The initial consultation or evaluation of the problem by the surgeon to determine the need for surgery. Please note that this policy only applies to major surgical procedures. The initial evaluation is always included in the allowance for a minor surgical procedure;

*Services of other physicians except where the surgeon and the other physician(s) agree on the transfer of care. This agreement may be in the form of a letter or an annotation in the discharge summary, hospital record, or ASC record;

*Visits unrelated to the diagnosis for which the surgical procedure is performed, unless the visits occur due to complications of the surgery;

*Treatment for the underlying condition or an added course of treatment which is not part of normal recovery from surgery;

*Diagnostic tests and procedures, including diagnostic radiological procedures;
*Clearly distinct surgical procedures during the postoperative period which are not re-operations or treatment for complications. (A new postoperative period begins with the subsequent procedure.) This includes procedures done in two or more parts for which the decision to stage the procedure is made prospectively or at the time of the first procedure. Examples of this are procedures to diagnose and treat epilepsy (codes 61533, 61534-61536, 61539, 61541, and 61543) which may be performed in succession within 90 days of each other;

*Treatment for postoperative complications which requires a return trip to the operating room (OR). An OR for this purpose is defined as a place of service specifically equipped and staffed for the sole purpose of performing procedures. The term includes a cardiac catheterization suite, a laser suite, and an endoscopy suite. It does not include a patient’s room, a minor treatment room, a recovery room, or an intensive care unit (unless the patient’s condition was so critical there would be insufficient time for transportation to an OR);

*If a less extensive procedure fails, and a more extensive procedure is required, the second procedure is payable separately;

*For certain services performed in a physician’s office, separate payment can no longer be made for a surgical tray (code A4550). This code is now a Status B and is no longer a separately payable service on or after January 1, 2002. However, splints and casting supplies are payable separately under the reasonable charge payment methodology;

*Immunosuppressive therapy for organ transplants; and
*Critical care services (codes 99291 and 99292) unrelated to the surgery where a seriously injured or burned patient is critically ill and requires constant attendance of the physician.

C.Minor Surgeries and Endoscopies

Visits by the same physician on the same day as a minor surgery or endoscopy are included in the payment for the procedure, unless a significant, separately identifiable service is also performed. For example, a visit on the same day could be properly billed in addition to suturing a scalp wound if a full neurological examination is made for a patient with head trauma. Billing for a visit would not be appropriate if the physician only identified the need for sutures and confirmed allergy and immunization status.

A postoperative period of 10 days applies to some minor surgeries. The postoperative period for these procedures is indicated in Field 16 of the MFSDB. If the Field 16 entry is 010, carriers do not allow separate payment for postoperative visits or services within 10 days of the surgery that are related to recovery from the procedure. If a diagnostic biopsy with a 10-day global period precedes a major surgery on the same day or in the

10-day period, the major surgery is payable separately. Services by other physicians are not included in the global fee for a minor procedures except as otherwise excluded. If the Field 16 entry is 000, postoperative visits beyond the day of the procedure are not included in the payment amount for the surgery. Separate payment is made in this instance.

D.Physicians Furnishing Less Than the Full Global Package B3-4820-4831
There are occasions when more than one physician provides services included in the global surgical package. It may be the case that the physician who performs the surgical procedure does not furnish the follow-up care. Payment for the postoperative, post- discharge care is split between two or more physicians where the physicians agree on the transfer of care.

When more than one physician furnishes services that are included in the global surgical package, the sum of the amount approved for all physicians may not exceed what would have been paid if a single physician provides all services (except where stated policies, e.g., the surgeon performs only the surgery and a physician other than the surgeon provides preoperative and postoperative inpatient care, result in payment that is higher than the global allowed amount).

Where a transfer of care does not occur, the services of another physician may either be paid separately or denied for medical necessity reasons, depending on the circumstances of the case.

E.Determining the Duration of a Global Period

To determine the global period for major surgeries, carriers count 1 day immediately before the day of surgery, the day of surgery, and the 90 days immediately following the day of surgery.

EXAMPLE:

Date of surgery – January 5 Preoperative period – January 4
Last day of postoperative period – April 5

To determine the global period for minor procedures, carriers count the day of surgery and the appropriate number of days immediately following the date of surgery.

EXAMPLE:

Procedure with 10 follow-up days:

Date of surgery – January 5
Last day of postoperative period – January 15