Global Period
The period of time during which the payer considers most related preoperative and postoperative services bundled into the surgical fee.
1 min read · Last reviewed May 23, 2026
At a glance
- Category
- Billing
- Primary sources
- 2
- Workspace handoff
- denial workbench →
Where this comes up
This shows up in revenue-cycle work — claim scrubbing, charge entry, posting, A/R follow-up, and month-end close. Billers and practice managers hit this term when reconciling a payment, working a denial queue, or auditing why a claim aged past 60 days.
Full definition
What it is in practice
CMS Global Surgery defines three global periods: 0 days (minor), 10 days (minor), and 90 days (major). The global indicator is published in the PFS RVU file. Visits during the global period for the same condition are bundled.
How it shows up in your practice
Use modifiers 24, 25, 57, 78, 79 to break out unrelated or unplanned services. Mismatched modifier use during the global period is a frequent denial cause.
Sources
- CMS MLN — Global Surgery Booklethttps://www.cms.gov/outreach-and-education/medicare-learning-network-mln/mlnproducts/downloads/globallsurgery-icn907166.pdf
- CMS — Physician Fee Schedule (PFS)https://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/fee-schedules/physician
Resolve global-period denials in the Denial Workbench
Open denial workbench →Related terms
- BillingModifier 24CPT modifier indicating an unrelated E/M service performed by the same provider during a postoperative global period.
- BillingModifier 25CPT modifier indicating that a significant, separately identifiable E/M service was performed by the same provider on the same day as another procedure or service.
- BillingModifier 78CPT modifier indicating an unplanned return to the operating room by the same physician for a related procedure during the postoperative period.
- BillingModifier 79CPT modifier indicating an unrelated procedure or service by the same physician during the postoperative period.
- BillingModifier 57CPT modifier indicating an E/M service that resulted in the initial decision to perform major surgery.
D3rx is a healthcare-billing and compliance research aid maintained by D3rx Inc. Articles are drafted by an LLM (Anthropic Claude) against primary HHS, OCR, CMS, eCFR, NIST, and state-regulator publications, and reviewed for restraint and source fidelity by the D3rx team.
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Related across the archive
- GlossaryModifier 24CPT modifier indicating an unrelated E/M service performed by the same provider during a postoperative global period.
- GlossaryModifier 57CPT modifier indicating an E/M service that resulted in the initial decision to perform major surgery.
- GlossaryModifier 78CPT modifier indicating an unplanned return to the operating room by the same physician for a related procedure during the postoperative period.
- GlossaryModifier 79CPT modifier indicating an unrelated procedure or service by the same physician during the postoperative period.
- GlossaryModifier 25CPT modifier indicating that a significant, separately identifiable E/M service was performed by the same provider on the same day as another procedure or service.
- BillingModifier 25: When to Use It and Common MistakesWhen to use modifier -25, when to skip it, and the common mistakes that trigger audits and denials.
- GlossaryCardiac Stress Test (93015-93018)CPT codes for cardiac stress testing, with separate codes for the global service, supervision, and interpretation.
- RegulationNCCI Global Surgical Package PolicyMedicare's global surgical package bundles preoperative, intraoperative, and routine postoperative care into a single payment for the surgical CPT code, with global periods of 0, 10, or 90 days.
This glossary entry is a research aid for billing and compliance staff. It does not provide legal, medical, or financial advice and does not replace counsel. References cited link to primary sources at HHS, OCR, CMS, eCFR, NIST, and the relevant payer or industry body.