Global surgical billing includes pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative care within a single payment. The global period can be 0, 10, or 90 days, depending on the procedure. Proper documentation and coding are crucial to ensure additional services (e.g., complications, unrelated follow-ups) are billed separately using modifiers like -24, -25, or -79.

Some common reasons include:

• Incorrect use of surgical CPT codes leading to claim rejection
• Lack of medical necessity documentation for elective or complex procedures
• Failure to append proper modifiers for multiple surgeries or staged procedures
• Issues with insurance pre-authorizations for specific surgeries

Modifiers help differentiate between related and unrelated services, ensuring correct reimbursements. Some key modifiers in general surgery billing include:

• -25: Significant, separately identifiable evaluation & management (E/M) service
• -59: Distinct procedural service (to avoid bundling issues)
• -78: Unplanned return to the operating room for a related procedure
• -80/-82: Assistant surgeon involvement