# 99238 and 99239



## JOGelico (Apr 1, 2008)

Hello
Are these codes subject to the Global package? I have a couple of my surgeons who admit the patients, perform surgery and then discharge the patients. Are these codes billable and payable after the surgeries?

Thanks, 
JOGelico


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## rthames052006 (Apr 1, 2008)

JOGelico said:


> Hello
> Are these codes subject to the Global package? I have a couple of my surgeons who admit the patients, perform surgery and then discharge the patients. Are these codes billable and payable after the surgeries?
> 
> Thanks,
> JOGelico



no, not to the surgeon who performed the surgery.


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## kevbshields (Apr 1, 2008)

Interesting that you should mention this . . . 

Read an article in (I'm totally guessing here) _Coding Edge_ on this . . . Point being, the article didn't help me to understand if/when that D/C is separately reportable.  Although we've all been taught that it's included, the article made me think perhaps we've been assuming that all these years.

More or less--from what I recall--CMS will probably not pay; any other assignment/reporting is based on contract.  

Example though:  I work in HIMS.  My employer is large enough that most contracts are negotiated either at national or regional (but never local) levels.  Therefore, my colleagues and I will never have access to such tools.  Anything outside the norm would be "guessing," and I'd rather us (my facility) loose some pro fee cash than just "guess" that it'd be ok in the eyes of payer XYZ to bill for D/C . . .


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## rthames052006 (Apr 7, 2008)

kevbshields said:


> Interesting that you should mention this . . .
> 
> Read an article in (I'm totally guessing here) _Coding Edge_ on this . . . Point being, the article didn't help me to understand if/when that D/C is separately reportable.  Although we've all been taught that it's included, the article made me think perhaps we've been assuming that all these years.
> 
> ...




Kevin,

I haven't come across that article.. although the docs I work for don't do surgeries, it's interesting.

I guess we have always been taught that it was included in the surgeon's "package" but as for my doc's we get called in for the medical mgmt of the pts who just had knee replacement, stent etc... and we will follow them in the hospital and bill the f/u visits and d/c and have never had a problem, I "assumed" thats why the surgeon's didn't want to d/c the pts because it was included in their global package... just me guessing.

I might bring this up at the next cms seminar I go to at the end of this month.

Maybe I will get some clarification.


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