AAPC Surgical Package and Global Period Rules 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does the CMS global surgical package include?
- Preoperative visits only
- The operation plus related pre- and postoperative care (Correct answer)
- Only the surgical procedure itself
- All office visits for one year
Correct answer: The operation plus related pre- and postoperative care
The CMS global surgical package bundles the operation and all related pre- and postoperative care within the defined global period into a single payment.
Question 2: What is the global period for a minor surgical procedure?
- 0 or 10 days (Correct answer)
- 30 days
- 60 days
- 90 days
Correct answer: 0 or 10 days
Minor surgical procedures are assigned a global period of either 0 days or 10 days depending on the specific procedure.
Question 3: Which modifier is used on an E/M service when the decision for a major surgery is made on the day before or the day of surgery?
- -25
- -57 (Correct answer)
- -24
- -79
Correct answer: -57
Modifier -57 is appended to an E/M code when the service resulted in the initial decision to perform a major surgical procedure.
Question 4: What is the global period for most major surgical procedures under Medicare?
- 10 days
- 30 days
- 60 days
- 90 days (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 90 days
Most major surgical procedures have a 90-day global period, beginning the day after surgery, during which related postoperative care is included.
Question 5: Which modifier indicates that an unrelated procedure was performed by the same physician during the postoperative period?
- -58
- -78
- -79 (Correct answer)
- -76
Correct answer: -79
Modifier -79 is used when the same physician performs an unrelated procedure during the postoperative global period of another procedure.
Question 6: Modifier -58 is used when a subsequent procedure during the postoperative period is:
- Unrelated to the original surgery
- A return to the OR for a complication
- Staged, anticipated, or more extensive than the original procedure (Correct answer)
- Performed by a different surgeon
Correct answer: Staged, anticipated, or more extensive than the original procedure
Modifier -58 is used for staged, anticipated, or more extensive procedures performed during the postoperative period of the original surgery.
AAPC Surgical Package and Global Period Rules 1
What does the CMS global surgical package include?