1. What is the Global Period Calculator?

The Global Period Calculator determines the end date of the postoperative period by adding the specified number of global days to the surgery date. This is particularly important for Medicare billing and Palmetto GBA compliance in 2023.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the simple formula:

Where:

• Surgery Date — The date when the procedure was performed
• Global Days — The number of postoperative days included in the global period (typically 0, 10, or 90 days)

3. Importance of Global Period Calculation

Details: Accurate global period calculation is crucial for proper billing and compliance with Medicare rules. It determines when separate evaluation and management services can be billed.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the surgery date in YYYY-MM-DD format and the number of global days (typically 0, 10, or 90 days depending on the procedure).

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What are common global period lengths?
A: Most procedures have either 0-day (minor procedures), 10-day (minor surgeries), or 90-day (major surgeries) global periods.

Q2: How does this affect billing?
A: Services related to the surgery during the global period are generally not separately billable to Medicare.

Q3: Are weekends and holidays counted?
A: Yes, all calendar days are counted in the global period calculation.

Q4: What if the patient is readmitted?
A: Readmissions during the global period for complications are generally billable with modifier -78.

Q5: Where can I find the global days for a specific CPT code?
A: The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule or Palmetto GBA's fee schedule lookup tool provides global days for each CPT code.