Medicare global surgery - YYY
Global indicator YYY: your MAC sets the period.
Decode YYY, ZZZ, XXX and MMM and see why a contractor-priced code has no fixed global period.
Decode a global indicator
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Result
What YYY means
For YYY, the A/B Medicare Administrative Contractor determines whether the global concept applies and establishes the postoperative period, if appropriate, at the time of pricing (Chapter 23, section 50.6). Chapter 12 adds that for these contractor-priced codes the global period will be 0, 10 or 90 days (section 40.1). So there is no number in the national file; the number lives with the MAC that prices the claim.
Not every contractor-priced code says YYY
CMS notes that not all contractor-priced codes carry YYY. Sometimes the global period is specified as 000, 010 or 090. The surgical payment rules apply to codes with entries of 000, 010, 090 and, sometimes, YYY.
Codes CMS has called out
The December 2025 MLN booklet lists these assignments: 44799 and G0498 have global surgery days of YYY, and G9685 is XXX. It also sets the CPT Category III codes 0437T, 0439T and 0443T to ZZZ. This page names the codes only; it does not describe them.
What to do
- Find the code in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule look-up tool and read the global days column.
- If it shows YYY, ask your MAC for the period it applies; do not assume 0, 10 or 90.
- Apply the dates with the global period calculator once you have the number.
- Document the answer with the claim, because the contractor sets it at pricing.
The other non-numeric values
MMM is a maternity code where the usual global period does not apply. XXX means the global concept does not apply. ZZZ is an add-on code related to another service; see the ZZZ page.
Worked example
A claim for a code with YYY is priced by the MAC. If the MAC sets a 10-day period and surgery is January 5, the last postoperative day is January 15, the same count CMS uses for 010. If the MAC decides no global concept applies, the global surgery rules do not apply to that code.
FAQ
What does YYY mean for global surgery?
The A/B MAC determines whether the global concept applies and, if so, the postoperative period, at the time of pricing.
How long is a YYY global period?
CMS says it will be 0, 10 or 90 days, set by the contractor. There is no fixed national figure.
Do all contractor-priced codes show YYY?
No. Sometimes the global period is specified as 000, 010 or 090 instead.
What is the difference between YYY and XXX?
XXX means the global concept does not apply. YYY means the contractor decides whether it applies and what the period is.
Where do I look up a code's global days?
In the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule look-up tool, by selecting the Global option to display the global column.
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 field definitions (retrieved 2026-11-02).
- CMS: Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 12, Physicians/Nonphysician Practitioners (Rev. 13753, issued 05-07-26): section 40.1 (retrieved 2026-11-02).
- CMS: MLN907166, Global Surgery booklet (December 2025): FAQs, global surgery indicators and the code assignments (retrieved 2026-11-02).
Not legal, billing or medical advice
This page explains published Medicare fee schedule indicators and CMS manual text. It cannot see your claim, your contract or any payer's policy, and the amounts it shows are illustrations, not claim prices. Confirm with your Medicare Administrative Contractor or payer before you bill, resubmit or appeal. Everything runs in your browser; nothing you enter is sent anywhere.