99024

Postoperative Follow-up Visit, Included in Global Surgical Package

CPT 99024 represents a postoperative follow-up visit that is included in the global surgical package for a specific procedure. Under the global surgery rules established by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and adopted by many private insurers, the reimbursement for a surgical procedure covers all routine services provided by the surgeon during the global period, which can be 0, 10, or 90 days. This code is specifically designed for reporting purposes to capture the clinical work, time, and resources expended during a follow-up encounter that relates directly to the recovery from the original surgery. Although 99024 carries a zero-dollar value on the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), it is a vital tool for tracking the volume of post-surgical care provided. The encounter typically involves a physician or qualified healthcare professional assessing the patient's recovery progress, inspecting the surgical site for signs of infection or dehiscence, removing sutures or staples, and addressing routine postoperative concerns such as minor pain management or activity restrictions. Using this code allows healthcare organizations to maintain accurate data on provider productivity and resource utilization that would otherwise be invisible in billing systems. It serves to document that the patient was seen for a related follow-up and that the standards of postoperative care were met. If a patient presents during the global period with a condition entirely unrelated to the surgery, or requires a return to the operating room for a complication, different coding rules and modifiers would apply. However, for the vast majority of routine post-surgical checks, 99024 is the appropriate mechanism for recording the service without generating a separate charge to the patient or payer.

Clinical Indications

  • Routine monitoring of healing after a surgical procedure
  • Removal of sutures or staples used during surgery
  • Evaluation of surgical wound for signs of infection or complications
  • Postoperative counseling regarding activity levels and physical therapy
  • Assessment of the patient's functional recovery post-intervention
  • Routine medication adjustment related to the surgical recovery phase

Procedure Steps

  1. Review the patient's surgical report and immediate postoperative history.
  2. Perform a physical examination focusing on the surgical site and systemic recovery.
  3. Check for signs of localized infection, hematoma, or seroma.
  4. Perform suture or staple removal if the wound is sufficiently healed.
  5. Assess the patient's pain level and efficacy of prescribed analgesics.
  6. Provide education on wound care, diet, and activity restrictions.
  7. Document the visit findings and any instructions given to the patient in the electronic health record.

Coding Guidelines

  • Report 99024 for visits that are bundled into the global surgical package.
  • This code has a relative value unit (RVU) of zero and is not separately reimbursed.
  • Do not use 99024 for evaluation and management of complications that require a return to the operating room.
  • If an E/M service is performed for a reason unrelated to the original surgery during the global period, use the appropriate E/M code (e.g., 99213) with modifier 24.
  • Medicare requires certain specialties in specific states to report 99024 for procedures with 10-day or 90-day global periods to collect data for valuation purposes.
  • 99024 should not be reported if the physician is only providing a service that does not include an E/M component, such as a lab draw only.