A new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG) examines whether the number of postoperative visits assumed in Medicare’s global surgery payments under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) reflects the care that is actually delivered. The audit follows a July 2025 OIG report concluding that postoperative visits are frequently underreported and that global surgery fees often assume more visits than are furnished. Based on audit findings, the August report identified evidence of both underreporting of postoperative visits and misalignment between the number of visits assumed in global surgery valuation and those documented in medical records.
Taken together, the two OIG audits provide an early look at data collected under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 reporting requirements and underscore the broader complexity of measuring and valuing global surgery packages. They also serve as important context for ongoing policy discussions, as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services continues to consider potential future changes to global surgery payment policy in the PFS, including discussions reflected in the calendar year 2026 PFS proposed rule.
