General Surgery Coding Alert

Question:A patient receives oral antibiotics in the office nine days after an incision and drainage procedure due to an infection at the surgical site. Does this still fall under 10060's 10-day global period or can we code this separately using modifier 24?Tennessee SubscriberAnswer: Although this certainly falls within 10060's (Incision and drainage of abscess ...) (I&D) 10-day global period for surgical packages, you must consider whether the post-op infection is directly related to the surgery. The answer will impact whether you can bill a separate encounter or include it in the global package.Post-op infections do not necessarily stem directly from the surgery. Factors such as age, hygiene, presence of concomitant illnesses, poor wound healing, compliance with antibiotic medications, post-op care, and environment all contribute to the development of post-op infections. These factors are not related directly to the surgery.Considering the above factors, it would be reasonable to code a separate [...]