Post-Op Care Bill Explained

What this document usually means

A post-operative care bill covers services provided during your recovery from surgery. This can include follow-up office visits, suture or staple removal, wound care, prescription medications, durable medical equipment like crutches or braces, and rehabilitation services like physical therapy.

The key concept is the global surgical period. For major surgeries with a 90-day global period, routine follow-up visits with your surgeon within those 90 days should be included in the original surgical fee and should not generate additional charges.

The first things to check

Check the date of each charge relative to your surgery date. If a follow-up visit with your surgeon falls within the global surgical period, it should be included in the surgery fee. Ask the surgeon's office to confirm the global period for your specific procedure.

Separate charges from other providers, like a physical therapist or a different doctor treating a complication, are typically legitimate even during the global period because they are different providers delivering different services.

Common reasons this letter feels confusing

The biggest confusion arises when a follow-up visit generates a bill even though it should have been included in the surgical fee. This can happen if the billing system does not correctly link the visit to the surgery, or if the visit addressed a new problem unrelated to the original procedure.

Another common issue is receiving bills for post-op physical therapy that was ordered by the surgeon but provided by an out-of-network therapist. The patient may not have realized they had a choice of therapy providers.

What to do before you pay or respond

Before paying any post-op charge, verify whether it falls within the global surgical period and whether the service was related to the surgery. If your surgeon billed for a follow-up visit that should have been included, call the billing office and ask them to review the claim.

For rehabilitation and therapy bills, confirm the provider is in-network and that your plan covers the prescribed number of sessions. Some plans require prior authorization for physical therapy beyond a certain number of visits.

How Letter Lens can help

Upload your post-op care bills to Letter Lens to identify which charges are routine follow-up (and possibly included in the surgery fee) versus separate services. Letter Lens explains the global surgical period, flags potential billing errors, and helps you organize the various bills that follow a surgical procedure.