Under the Medicare global surgical package, which statement is true about routine postoperative visits within the global period?

• A. They are included in the global payment.
• B. They require separate billing with modifiers.
• C. They are billable only if the surgeon isn't the provider of record.
• D. They are reimbursed at a higher rate.

Answer: (A)

In the Medicare global surgical package, routine postoperative visits that occur within the global period are bundled into the original surgery’s payment. This means these follow-up visits are considered part of the same episode of care and aren’t billed separately, because the global period is intended to cover all routine postoperative care related to that operation. The surgeon’s payment already accounts for these post-op visits during that period.

Context: the global period spans a defined window after the surgery (the length varies by procedure), and routine postoperative care within that window is included in the global payment. If a visit is unrelated to the surgery or performed by someone other than the surgeon for a non-related service, separate billing rules may apply with appropriate modifiers, but routine post-op visits tied to the surgery are included in the global.