infected sutures

I have a patient that had sutures put in his toe and when he came back the next day to have the sutures checked the wound looked infected. The doctor squeezed the wound and took a sample and sent it to the lab. He wants 10060 billed, but there was no incision done. Is this part of the post op for the sutures?

It's in the global

for the surgery- that is post-op care. Sorry

more questions

Thank you for the response. The same patient also has asthma and when he came in his sutures the nurse did a pulse ox. When he came back for his 3 follow up visits, the nurse did a pulse ox every time. The doctor, however, did not discuss his asthma issues. The doctor wants to bill office visits for the 3 follow up visits even though it was during the global period for the sutures and he didn't address the asthma. Can the visits be billed?

Really?

The doc can bill an office visit if it addresses a separate diagnosis and it is supported by documentation of the Evaluation and Management (hence the "E&M"). Based on what you presented, probably could bill the pulse oximetry linked to the asthma code but that is all. (And you would have a hard time justifying 3 pulse oximetry checks with no office visit as far as medical necessity.)