The Global Period is one of the most important. It’s part of the Global Surgery Concept introduced by Medicare to streamline billing for surgical procedures.
In simple terms, the global period is a specific timeframe during which all surgical services, including post-operative visits, are bundled under a single claim. This means providers cannot bill them separately. For those unfamiliar with surgery, global periods are normally 0, 10, or 90 days. For now, we will tackle this one bite at a time.
Services Provided Under the Global Period
Medicare defines global periods differently for major and minor surgeries:
- Major surgeries – 90 days (starting one day before surgery)
- Minor surgeries – 0 or 10 days (including the day of surgery)
Covered services typically include:
Pre-Operative Care
Intraoperative Care
Post-Operative Care
Not Included in the Global Period:
- Unrelated consultations
- Emergency services
- Separate, unrelated procedures
Post Operative Modifiers for Global Period
Modifiers provide additional details when services fall inside or outside the global package. Common ones include:
- Modifier 24 – E/M and unrelated service during the global period.
- Modifier 58 – Staged or related procedure during the recovery period.
- Modifier 78 – Unplanned return to surgery for related issue.
- Modifier 79 – Unrelated procedure by the same physician during the global period.
000 = No post-op days (same day only)
010 = 10-day post-op period
090 = 90-day post-op period
MMM = Maternity (full maternity cycle)
XXX = Global concept doesn’t apply
YYY = Carrier determines period
ZZZ = Related to another procedure (follows primary code’s period)
Applying the correct Indicator and modifier may assist with compliance and reimbursement.
At RevaxisMD, we help healthcare providers manage complex billing rules like the global period so they can focus on patient care while we ensure proper claim submission and maximum reimbursements.
Schedule a Consultation
Schedule your consultation today and start your journey towards a healthier Revenue Cycle Management. Contact us now!
Related Post
Growing Primary Care Practice — Case Study
Primary Care 04
Growing primary care practice clears a 40% provider enrollment backlog
Provider enrollment and billing support needed to keep pace with new hires and payer participation — new providers were seeing patients months before they could bill for them.
- Practice type
- Primary care, two locations
- Location
- Southwest US
- Provider count
- 9 providers, 5 onboarded during engagement
- Engagement length
- Ongoing, quarterly reporting
| Period | Value | Phase |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 45 | Before engagement |
| Month 2 | 43 | Before engagement |
| Month 3 | 34 | After engagement |
| Month 4 | 30 | After engagement |
| Month 5 | 27 | After engagement |
The challenge
The practice was hiring faster than it could credential. Enrollment applications were filed reactively after a provider started, revalidation dates were tracked by memory, and claims for newly hired providers were held for months before anyone could bill them.
Our approach
Credentialing was coordinated around the onboarding calendar rather than the start date, so applications were filed before a provider arrived. Revalidation moved onto a maintained schedule, and billing workflows were connected to enrollment status so held claims were released the day participation was confirmed.
How the engagement unfolded
- Month 1 Backlog triage Listed every open provider–payer combination and sequenced it by revenue impact rather than by submission date.
- Month 2 Ahead of the start date Moved enrollment filing to the offer-acceptance point, so paperwork runs while a provider is still working out their notice.
- Month 3 Revalidation calendar Put every existing provider on a maintained revalidation schedule instead of tracking renewals informally.
- Ongoing Quarterly review Enrollment status and clean-claim performance reported together each quarter as the practice keeps hiring.
New providers used to sit idle on the billing side for months. Now their enrollment is done before their first clinic day.
Figures on this page are an illustrative example of a typical engagement, not measured results from a named client. Your own outcome depends on your payer mix, specialty and current workflow.
Want results like this for your practice?
Request a complimentary billing audit and see where your own revenue is leaking.
Request a free audit
