CPT® Code 99024

Last Updated: January 2026 | Verified for 2026 global surgery policy concepts, CMS claims-based reporting guidance, and common payer rules

Quick Reference

• Definition: CPT 99024 documents a postoperative follow-up visit that is normally included in the global surgical package. It signals an E/M service during the postoperative period for reasons related to the original procedure, but does not generate separate reimbursement .
• What it covers: Typical surgeon follow-up such as wound checks, dressing changes, suture/staple removal, pain and recovery assessment, and routine post-op counseling—services commonly treated as included in the global package .
• Why it exists: CMS uses 99024 primarily as a claims-based data collection code to measure actual postoperative visit frequency compared with what is assumed in global payment values .
• Medicare reporting requirement: CMS requires certain practitioners (notably larger group practices in specific states and for selected high-volume/high-cost global services) to report 99024 for each applicable post-op visit. CMS instructions on how to report and what it does (and does not) change are in the official FAQs .
• When not to use: Do not report 99024 for unrelated problems in the global period (bill a standard E/M with modifier 24), for separately billable staged/return-to-OR procedures, or for services outside the global window. CMS emphasizes that reporting 99024 does not replace otherwise payable coding and modifier logic . Practical point: Think of 99024 as a “proof of visit occurred” line item when the visit is already paid through the surgery’s global allowance.

1. CPT 99024 Definition and What It Includes

CPT 99024 is defined as a postoperative follow-up visit that is normally included in the surgical package, used to indicate that an evaluation and management (E/M) service occurred during the postoperative period for a reason related to the original procedure. In operational terms, 99024 is the standardized way to record that “the expected post-op check happened,” even though the surgeon is not separately paid for it beyond the original global payment .

The key compliance idea is that the global surgical package is designed to pay for a bundle of care, not just the operative event. Many payer policies list typical included services such as postoperative office visits, routine wound care, suture removal, and related management that would ordinarily be part of uncomplicated recovery . Those included services are exactly what 99024 is meant to represent when the visit is being tracked.

From a workflow perspective, 99024 should map to a routine post-op encounter where the clinical content is primarily aftercare: confirming stability, ensuring healing is progressing, addressing expected symptoms, adjusting routine analgesia, reviewing restrictions, and reinforcing aftercare instructions. The visit can be brief or detailed; 99024 does not encode complexity or time. That is intentional: CMS’s data collection wants a consistent “visit count” rather than a graded E/M level .

A frequent point of confusion is whether 99024 is a “billing code” in the ordinary sense. For most payers, it is not. It is typically a $0 line item, used to make the visit visible on a claim stream for tracking. When practices adopt it voluntarily, the practical benefit is internal: it aligns appointment history, clinical documentation, and payer-facing records. When required by Medicare in the reporting program, it also becomes a compliance requirement tied to a specific subset of global procedures and practitioners .

Conceptual boundary: 99024 is for routine included postoperative follow-up. If the encounter is separately payable (unrelated E/M, distinct procedure, return to OR, staged service), do not substitute 99024 for the payable coding pathway. CMS explicitly states 99024 reporting does not change what services should be billed separately when appropriate .

2. Documentation Standards for Postoperative Visits

Even when a post-op visit is not separately reimbursed, documentation must be clinically complete and audit-ready. Documentation serves two purposes: (1) it supports safe care, continuity, and medico-legal requirements, and (2) it supports the correct interpretation of global surgery services when claims-based reporting is required. Best-practice documentation recommendations emphasize explicitly linking the encounter to the surgery and stating the timing within the postoperative course .

Core elements to document

• Post-op context: Identify the procedure and date (or “post-op day/week”). Example: “Post-op day 14 after CPT 66984 cataract extraction” or “2 weeks after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.” Documentation guidance recommends this explicit linkage to minimize later ambiguity .
• Recovery status: Patient complaints (pain, swelling, drainage), functional status, red flags reviewed, and course since last contact.
• Site assessment: Incision/wound findings, dressing integrity, signs of infection or dehiscence, neurovascular assessment when relevant, range-of-motion milestones in musculoskeletal cases.
• Interventions performed: Dressing change, drain removal, suture/staple removal, reinforcement of wound care, medication adjustments that are typical of post-op management.
• Plan and patient education: Restrictions, follow-up timing, warning symptoms that should trigger urgent re-contact, therapy or rehabilitation instructions. If an encounter includes both routine post-op care and an unrelated problem, documentation should separate those components with clear assessment and plan sections. This is essential when modifier-based billing is used for the unrelated portion (for example, modifier 24 on a separately billable E/M). CMS guidance on 99024 reporting underscores that payable services should still be reported as they otherwise would be, and clear documentation is what makes that credible .

The compliance importance of documentation has been reinforced by oversight reporting that evaluated whether postoperative visit data were being captured as expected. The OIG report emphasized the need for CMS to confirm it is receiving required postoperative visit data and to follow up when reporting appears inconsistent (such as reporting zero visits when visits would typically be expected) . From a practice standpoint, consistent documentation plus consistent 99024 reporting (when required) reduces audit friction.

3. CMS and Commercial Payer Reporting Requirements

Medicare (CMS) reporting: claims-based data collection

Medicare’s global surgery rules bundle typical post-op visits into the surgical payment. In addition, CMS implemented a claims-based reporting requirement for postoperative visits using CPT 99024, with detailed operational instructions provided in its official FAQs . The reporting initiative was intended to compare the number of visits assumed in valuation models with what occurs in practice.

In the CMS framework, 99024 is reported once per postoperative follow-up visit date for the applicable procedures and practitioners, and it is not used to distinguish levels of complexity. CMS’s stated intent is straightforward visit counting, not payment .

Oversight attention has remained high. The HHS OIG audit report identified gaps in whether CMS was receiving the required data when reporting was mandatory, and recommended CMS confirm compliance and follow up on practitioners whose reporting patterns were inconsistent with typical postoperative care delivery . The AMA has also discussed how such findings can influence revaluation discussions for global surgical services, reflecting that the data are consequential to broader policy and reimbursement debates .

Commercial payers

Most commercial payers follow the same core global surgery principle: routine postoperative follow-up is included in the payment for the procedure and not separately reimbursed. Many payer-facing global package documents define postoperative follow-up visits as included and list routine wound care and similar aftercare as part of the global service .

Unlike Medicare, most commercial plans do not impose a universal requirement to submit 99024 for tracking. In practice, 99024 lines may adjudicate as informational, non-covered, or $0. Practices often decide whether to submit 99024 to commercial payers based on operational goals (consistency, internal analytics) rather than reimbursement. When in doubt, the safest approach is to ensure your internal documentation and scheduling accurately reflect postoperative care, and then align claim behavior with payer-specific guidance and clearinghouse rules.

4. Breakdown by Specialty Usage

CPT 99024 is relevant in any specialty performing procedures with 10-day or 90-day global periods, but its practical footprint is largest in high-volume surgical domains where global payment assumptions include multiple post-op checks. The following specialty examples focus on common patterns and compliance sensitivities rather than exhaustive procedure lists.

Ophthalmology

Ophthalmology is frequently cited in discussions of global surgery valuation because cataract surgery is high-volume and typically includes multiple postoperative visits (often post-op day 1, week 1, and later follow-up). Policy discussions about global codes have used cataract surgery as a key example of why assumed post-op visits matter to valuation . Where Medicare reporting applies, 99024 captures the timing and frequency of those standard visits.

Orthopedics

Orthopedic procedures such as joint replacement and fracture fixation commonly involve scheduled follow-ups for wound checks, functional progression, and therapy coordination. Those visits are included in the global package unless the encounter meets criteria for separate payment (for example, unrelated E/M or a separately billable complication procedure). Oversight and professional discussions about global package valuation often reference orthopedic procedures because the assumed number of visits can be substantial .

General surgery and OB/GYN

General surgery frequently involves 90-day global procedures with at least one routine postoperative assessment. OB/GYN follows the same global surgery concepts for gynecologic operations (distinct from obstetric global maternity bundles). In both domains, 99024 helps distinguish included follow-up from separately payable visits with modifiers when unrelated conditions are addressed.

Dermatology and minor procedures

Dermatologic excisions and repairs often involve 10-day global periods with predictable follow-up (for example, suture removal and wound checks). For these encounters, 99024 is a clean way to record included postoperative care. Practices frequently adopt 99024 as part of documentation discipline, even when not required, to avoid confusion about why follow-up visits were “no charge” .

5. Common Procedures Associated with 99024

Any procedure with a 10-day or 90-day global period can generate postoperative visits that can be represented by 99024. The practical association is strongest for procedures where postoperative follow-up is standard and routinely scheduled. Global policy discussions and payer policies often cite examples such as cataract surgery and joint replacement as archetypal global procedures with multiple included visits .

A practical operations tip is to maintain a scheduling template that labels “global follow-up” appointments distinctly. That supports correct front-desk expectations (no copay collection in some settings), reduces coding confusion, and helps ensure the clinic does not inadvertently under-document visits that are expected after surgery.

6. Global Period Timing and Examples

Global periods are typically structured as 0-day, 10-day, or 90-day windows, depending on the procedure. While 99024 is generally relevant only when there is a postoperative period (10 or 90 days), what matters most is that the visit is inside the defined global window and is related to the procedure.

10-day global (minor procedures)

A 10-day global typically includes the day of the procedure plus the immediate postoperative days in which a wound check or suture removal is expected. A routine follow-up visit within that window is included and therefore fits 99024 when tracking is required or desired.

90-day global (major procedures)

A 90-day global typically covers a longer recovery course, often with multiple standardized visits. These visits are frequently the ones that payers and policymakers focus on because global valuation assumptions may include multiple visits that vary across practice settings. The reason CMS collects 99024 is to observe these real-world patterns over time .

Common pitfall: Reporting 99024 outside the global period (late follow-up) or for a visit driven by an unrelated problem. If the global window has ended, the visit is typically billed as a regular E/M; if the problem is unrelated but within the global window, bill the E/M with modifier 24 (and document the unrelated diagnosis) .

7. Modifier Guidance (When 99024 Is Not Appropriate)

The most important coding skill around 99024 is recognizing when an encounter is not routine included postoperative care. In those cases, 99024 should not be used as a substitute. Instead, bill the appropriate E/M or procedure code with the correct modifier. CMS explicitly states that 99024 reporting does not change what is separately reportable; you should still bill separately payable services with their usual codes and modifiers .

Modifier 24: unrelated E/M during the postoperative period

If a patient presents during the global period for a problem unrelated to the surgery, report the appropriate E/M code with modifier 24 rather than using 99024. Documentation should make the unrelated nature clear (distinct diagnosis, different body system, and an assessment/plan that is not postoperative management). Documentation guidance emphasizes this separation and recommends structuring notes to reduce audit ambiguity .

Return to operating room or staged procedures

When a complication requires a return to the operating room, or when a planned staged procedure occurs during the global window, the correct approach is to report the applicable procedure code with the correct modifier (for example, modifier 78 for an unplanned return to the OR, modifier 58 for planned staged/related procedures, or modifier 79 for unrelated procedures). 99024 is then reserved for routine follow-ups that remain included after those events.

Split-care postoperative management (policy context)

When postoperative care is transferred (for example via modifiers 54/55), the global payment may be split between practitioners. Policy discussions and CMS tracking concepts have increasingly focused on capturing who provides postoperative care and how often it occurs, which is why accurate documentation and reporting matters even when payment pathways differ .

8. Clinical Use Cases

The scenarios below illustrate how to decide between 99024 and separately payable coding pathways. The goal is consistent: match the code to whether the service is routine included postoperative care or a separately payable service.

Use Case 1: Routine post-op visit (included care)

Scenario: A minor procedure with a 10-day global period is performed. The patient returns for a standard wound check and suture removal within the global window.

Correct approach: Document the post-op context and record the included visit as 99024 for tracking (when required or used internally).

Support: Global package descriptions list routine postoperative visits and wound care as included services .

Use Case 2: Standard 90-day follow-up series

Scenario: A major procedure with a 90-day global period is performed and the surgeon sees the patient for multiple expected follow-ups (early check, mid-course, and near the end of the global window).

Correct approach: Each routine follow-up visit date is captured as 99024 in the CMS reporting program, consistent with claims-based reporting instructions .

Use Case 3: Unrelated problem during global period

Scenario: During the global period, the patient is evaluated for an unrelated complaint (new rash, unrelated pain, separate disease management) and the visit includes medically necessary evaluation unrelated to postoperative recovery.

Correct approach: Bill the E/M code with modifier 24 (and document the unrelated diagnosis and assessment). Do not use 99024 as the primary coding for that unrelated evaluation. CMS emphasizes that otherwise payable services should still be reported normally , and documentation guidance supports separating the unrelated issue clearly .

Use Case 4: Complication requiring operative management

Scenario: A postoperative complication leads to a return to the OR within the global window.

Correct approach: Bill the applicable procedure with the appropriate modifier (for example, return-to-OR logic). Continue to treat routine follow-up visits as included postoperative care and use 99024 only for those included visits.

Support: CMS states 99024 reporting does not change separate reporting rules .

Use Case 5: Policy and valuation context—why accurate reporting matters

Scenario: A practice is required to report 99024 under the CMS program but reports few or no visits for procedures that typically have multiple follow-ups.

Risk: Oversight reports have highlighted the need for CMS to confirm receipt of required data and to follow up when reporting appears incomplete .

Correct approach: Implement a standardized workflow: identify applicable global procedures, ensure each eligible post-op appointment is documented as postoperative care, and submit 99024 for each visit date according to CMS FAQs .

In daily operations, the simplest decision algorithm is:

(1) Is the encounter within the global period? (2) Is the work routine postoperative care related to recovery? If yes, 99024 is appropriate for tracking. If the answer to either is no, use standard payable codes with the correct modifier pathway. This aligns with CMS instructions and reduces exposure to both under-reporting concerns and improper unbundling.