Wiki Global Periods

[lis@unm.edu]

I am trying to find out some information on global periods within a global. Example: a pt. is currently in a 90 day global has another procedure done that is unrelated to the original procedure with a 10 day global. Does the new post?operative period begin with the subsequent procedure of the 10 day global & the 90 day global is null and void? How does that work? I have read the Medicare Learning Network ?Global Surgery Fact Sheet & Medicare Claims Processing Manual section 40 ? Surgeons & Global Surgery with no luck in answering my question. I understand based on which modifier used on the subsequent procedure: 78 pt. stays in the original global period or 79 pt. starts the new global period.

For example: pt. has procedure 27425?LT (Lateral retinacular release) Global Days: 90. 10 post?op pt. is having problems with shoulder & now suffers from Frozen Shoulder & has another procedure: 23700-79; RT (Manipulation under anesthesia) Global Days: 10.

Now per Global Surgery Fact Sheet & Medicare Claims Processing Manual section 40 ? Surgeons & Global Surgery the pt. starts a new global period from the secondary procedure so they now go from a 90 day global to a 10 day global. What I am asking is if the following statement is correct: pt. is no longer in a 90 day global for their more extensive procedure they are downgraded to a 10 day global?


Thank You

 

[dclark7]

Patient is still in the 90 day global for the knee procedure, that does not change. The new global only applie to the new procedure. So in your for example if the patient had surgery for the knee on 2/5/14 global would be until 5/6/14. If the patient comes back in with a shoulder problem and has a procedure (10 day global) on the shoulder on 3/7/14 your global period for the shoulder would end on 3/17/14. However the patient is still in the global period for the knee until 5/6. You in essence have "overlapping" global periods (one for each procedure).

 

[lis@unm.edu]

Global

What if it was on the same body area as the first procedure an unexpected complication? What would you do with that global going from a 90 day from the 1st procedure down to a 10 day from the 2nd/subsequent procedure?

 

[OCD_coder]

I think you have a little confusion with the modifiers with the scenario you describe. The modifier 79 doesn't turn off the 90 day global period for the procedure on the LT shoulder. Understand that you will have two parallel global periods occurring at the same time until they expire; one for the LT and one for the RT.