Global indicator 010: the 10-day minor procedure.

What 010 means

CMS defines 010 as a minor procedure with preoperative relative values on the day of the procedure and postoperative relative values during a 10-day postoperative period included in the fee schedule amount. E/M services on the day of the procedure and during the 10 days are generally not payable (Chapter 23, section 50.6). There is no preoperative day before the procedure, so the total is 11 days: the day of surgery and the 10 days following (MLN booklet).

Visits inside the window

If the entry is 010, the contractor does not allow separate payment for postoperative visits or services within 10 days of the surgery that are related to recovery from the procedure. A visit by the same physician on the same day as a minor procedure is included in the payment unless a significant, separately identifiable service is also performed (Chapter 12, section 40.1.C). Modifier 25 identifies that separate E/M service. CMS says the initial evaluation is always included in the allowance for a minor procedure, and that modifier 57 is not used with minor surgeries.

The diagnostic biopsy exception

If a diagnostic biopsy with a 10-day global period comes before a major surgery on the same day or within the 10 days, the major surgery is payable separately.

Worked example

CMS's own example: a procedure with 10 follow-up days performed January 5 has a last postoperative day of January 15. A related wound check on January 12 falls inside the window and is part of the package; an unrelated problem visit that day is not, and is billed with the appropriate modifier. The calculator above gives the dates for any procedure date.

Shared care

When another provider takes over postoperative care by agreement, modifiers 54 and 55 divide the package, and the provider accepting care must furnish at least one service before billing any part of the postoperative care. If no transfer of care occurs, occasional post-discharge services by another provider are reported with the E/M code and no modifier.

Related

Compare 000 and 090, or use the full global period calculator.

FAQ

How long is a 010 global period?

Eleven days: the day of the procedure and the 10 days after it.

Is an E/M visit on the day of a 010 procedure billable?

Generally not, because it is included. It can be billed only if a significant, separately identifiable E/M service is performed, which is reported with modifier 25.

Is there a preoperative period for 010?

No. CMS lists no preoperative period for 010; only the procedure day carries preoperative values.

Can modifier 57 be used with a 010 procedure?

CMS says not to use modifier 57 with minor surgeries, and contractors may not pay an E/M billed with modifier 57 on the day of or the day before a 000 or 010 procedure.

What if a biopsy with a 010 period is followed by major surgery?

The major surgery is payable separately when it follows a diagnostic biopsy with a 10-day global period on the same day or within the 10 days.

Sources

Retrieved 2026-11-02 from the CMS documents below. Indicator meanings are paraphrased from the CMS definitions; no AMA CPT descriptors are reproduced. CMS revises the fee schedule and its manuals, so check the current text.

• CMS: Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 23, Fee Schedule Administration and Coding Requirements (Rev. 13701, issued 06-16-26): section 50.6, Global Surgery value 010 (retrieved 2026-11-02).
• CMS: Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 12, Physicians/Nonphysician Practitioners (Rev. 13753, issued 05-07-26): section 40.1.C and 40.1.E, minor surgeries and endoscopies; duration of a global period (retrieved 2026-11-02).
• CMS: MLN907166, Global Surgery booklet (December 2025): FAQs and Pre-Operative Period Billing (retrieved 2026-11-02).