Coding for Partial OB Care

Question: When we bill globally for obstetric patients we do not bill every individual visit. Rather, we bill the global charge for the delivery. But if a patient was seen in our office for all her prenatal care and then wasn't delivered by our doctor, how do I bill just for the prenatal care?

Answer: Take a moment to review the codes in the Maternity Care and Delivery section of CPT (59000-59899).

You are right that a typical maternity case, in which the mother goes with one physician from antepartum care to delivery to postpartum care, is coded with a global code for everything.

However, there also are codes for just pre- and postpartum care. You should pick one of these, as appropriate, to bill for the care you provided:

59425 - antepartum care only; 4-6 visits.

59426 - antepartum care only; 7 or more visits.

59430 - postpartum care only (separate procedure).