Starting on July 1, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is requiring that certain
neurosurgeons in the nine states listed above to report the number of post-operative visits that they provide
related to particular neurosurgical procedures. This reporting requirement applies to any group of 10 or more
practitioners (not just surgeons) for all visits (in-hospital and outpatient) during the 10- and 90-day global
period.
CMS is concerned about the accuracy of the values assigned to 10- and 90-day global codes. Specifically, the
agency is questioning whether the number and level of postoperative visits currently included in the
reimbursement for global codes are an accurate reflection of the care that is actually provided. CMS will use
these claims to verify that services rendered by neurosurgeons in the post-surgical global period accurately
reflect current values.
We strongly encourage neurosurgeons in these nine states to report all postoperative visits that occur —
both in the hospital and after discharge — during the 10- and 90-day global periods. Each of these
services should be billed just like a typical clinic or hospital visit using CPT 99024.
This is a significant change and an unfunded reporting mandate. Previously, no billing during the global period
was required, and many surgeons may not routinely track their in-hospital visits for patients after surgery.
However, accurately reporting this information will be vital to demonstrate the extent of postoperative
care neurosurgeons provide to our patients.
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