tci ED Coding & Reimbursement Alert - 2007 Issue 3

READER QUESTION ~ Check Procedure's Global Period Before Reporting an E/M Service

Question: A Medicare patient reports to the ED for drainage of a simple finger abscess. The physician performed the drainage and sent the patient home. The patient reports back to the ED for a wound check. Notes for this second encounter indicate that the physician examined and then redrained the wound, changed the dressing and sent the patient home. Can we report this second E/M and the abscess drainage?Oregon SubscriberAnswer:  It depends on when the wound check occurred. By Medicare rules, finger abscess drainages have a global period of 10 days. So if the patient reports back in...

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