Understanding Global Services in Medical Billing: A Comprehensive Guide

An operation your surgeon performs in a hospital, when billed as a global service, will include charges for the doctor's time, expertise and insurance costs, as well as all surgery-related fees and expenses.

Hospital

• Billing of services your doctor provides in a hospital setting will differ from those performed in a private office. The former classify as global services and billing includes a technical component covering expenses for use of the hospital building, equipment and technical staff. The global service bill also includes a professional component--charges to cover time your doctor spent examining you and giving her professional opinions and analysis.

Pregnancy

• Pregnancy care can qualify for billing as a global service. If so, the billing cannot take place until after the child is born and must include all charges for routine care before and after the birth, lab work and any office visits during the pregnancy term and the delivery itself.

Payment

• Reimbursement for a global service medical billing comes in the form of a "lump sum for a group of related encounters," according to "Medical Billing and Coding Demystified." In case of surgery, the payment would cover pre-op and post-op doctor's visits, the actual operation and the discharge.