Michael F. Easley, Governor
Buck Lattimore, Chairman

Bernadine S. Ballance, Commissioner
Thomas J. Bolch, Commissioner
Laura K. Mavretic, Commissioner
Renée C. Riggsbee, Commissioner
Christopher Scott, Commissioner
Dianne C. Sellers, Commissioner

North Carolina
Industrial Commission

MEMORANDUM

TO: All Workers’ Compensation Carriers, Third Party Administrators, Self-Insured Employers and Medical Bill Processors; and All Workers’ Compensation Medical/Surgery Providers
 
FROM: Jennifer Gudac, Chief Medical Fee Examiner
 
DATE: June 21, 2002
 
SUBJECT: Surgery Fees and Proper Guidelines for Applying the Global Period 

This memo is to clarify the North Carolina Industrial Commission Medical Fee Schedule guidelines to surgical global fees. The surgical global period includes the actual surgery and any hospital or office visits related to uncomplicated follow-up care for the surgery within the global time limit. The surgical global period does not include postoperative complications (i.e., bleeding or infections) or unrelated services (i.e., services by another specialty).

Medical bill processors should exercise caution when using the global period to deny charges, especially when processing bills from larger provider heath centers that are rendering medical services from multiple specialties.

Attention to modifiers used by the providers will help identify complications and unrelated services, and ensure that providers are reimbursed for these services.


Medical Fees Section · N.C. Industrial Commission · 4337 Mail Service Center · Raleigh, NC 27699-4337
Phone(919) 807-2503 · Fax:  (919) 715-0282
NCIC Home Page:  http://www.comp.state.nc.us/