Global Confusion – Retinal Physician

Billing for a procedure done during the global period of a prior procedure.

Physicians and billers are often confused regarding which modifiers to use when a procedure is performed in the global period of a prior procedure. Here’s my attempt to provide some clarity.

This article addresses the following questions:

• What modifiers apply when a surgical procedure occurs during a global surgical period?
• How is modifier 58 used?
• What is appropriate use of modifier 78?
• How about modifier 79?

This article was published in Retinal Physician, which is written by Corcoran’s Executive Vice-President, Suzanne Corcoran, COE. To view the entire article in Retinal Physician, click on the link below:

https://www.retinalphysician.com/issues/2019/october-2019/coding-q-amp;a-global-confusion