This is actually not such a simple question, but here goes.......
Do you have the Ingenix/Optum Coding companions for Ortho (They are labled Orthopaedics-Upper; Spine and Above, and Orthopaedics-Lower; Hips and below)? Under Medicare Edits there is a lable FUD (follow-up days). This will be 0, 10 or 90.
Some global periods very by payer but this is typically Medicaid, and it's with the closed fracture care w/out reduction. (For my area some are only 45 days instead of 90).
If so look up your CPT code and look in the third column, you'll see something labled I'm not sure I understand what you mean "wait to bill things out"? You will bill when the provider performed the second procedure, It's your modifiers that will tell the story. If a second procedure is done during the global period and it was planned this would be modifier 58.
There's not really a list of top 10 I or any other Orthopedic Coder could give you, because we don't know work with your surgeons. Example, my first practice did Ortho trauma, but no spine or skull. We even had hand surgeons and joint replacements.
My current practice specailizes in spine, but does no trauma, but we have another surgeon who specializes in arthoscopic shoulder and knee surgery. Then you've also got your office fx care codes (this could vary widley if you see pediatric patients/higher incidence of limb fx), and your various types of injections, i.e. large, intermediate, or small jt injections, as well as TPI.
I think my simple answer to this not so simple question, is check out your modifiers on the inside of your CPT book and read the descriptions in Appendix A, in the blue section in front of the green section at the back of the book.
