Is Physical Therapy During Pregnancy Considered Global or Non-Global Care?

Pregnancy-related pain is one of the most common reasons patients are referred to physical therapy. Conditions like low back pain, hip discomfort, pelvic girdle pain, and sciatica often appear during pregnancy and can significantly impact daily functioning.

However, from an OBGYN medical billing and coding perspective, these cases are increasingly becoming a source of confusion and claim denials.

Is Physical Therapy During Pregnancy Considered Global or Non-Global Care?

Coding guidelines for obstetric cases state that pregnancy-related conditions are generally reported using Chapter 15 (O-codes) when pregnancy has an impact on the patient’s care. However, if the provider clearly documents that a condition is unrelated to pregnancy, then non-obstetric diagnosis codes such as musculoskeletal (M-codes) may be used instead.

If Physical Therapy is Pregnancy-Related

For example, if a pregnant patient is receiving PT for:

• Low back pain caused by pregnancy
• Pelvic pain
• Hip pain related to pregnancy
• Sciatica due to pregnancy

Physical therapy during pregnancy is generally considered global care. Although it is frequently prescribed to manage pregnancy-associated conditions such as low back pain, pelvic girdle pain, sciatica, muscle weakness, and mobility limitations, it is included in the obstetric global maternity package used by OB-GYN providers for routine prenatal, delivery, and postpartum services unless the physician states otherwise.

If Physical Therapy Is Not Pregnancy-Related

Not every physical therapy service provided during pregnancy is considered pregnancy-related. If a patient is receiving treatment for a condition that existed before pregnancy or is unrelated to the pregnancy itself, the underlying medical condition should be coded rather than using an obstetric (O) code.

For example, if the patient:

• Injured her knee before becoming pregnant
• Has a chronic shoulder problem
• Is receiving PT after a sports injury

Accurate documentation is essential to support the coding decision and ensure proper claim processing.

Providers usually report the underlying diagnosis instead of an obstetric (O) code when documentation indicates that the underlying condition is not related to the pregnancy. These might include pre-existing knee injuries, chronic shoulder pain or other musculoskeletal pain not directly related to the pregnancy. 

Global vs Non-Global in Physical Therapy During Pregnancy

There is no any direct statement that defines physical therapy as either global or non-global. It mainly relates to diagnosis coding in obstetric cases.

Global OB Care

Global maternity care includes:

• Routine prenatal visits
• Labor and delivery
• Postpartum care

Physical Therapy Billing Status

Physical therapy is generally:

• Billed separately by the physical therapist
• Not included in the OB global maternity package

Important Coding Point

Even though PT is separate, the diagnosis may still be pregnancy-related depending on documentation. In such cases, an O-code may still apply.

Final Understanding

• PT service = Non-global (separate billing)
• Diagnosis = May still be pregnancy-related (O-code) if caused by pregnancy

BillingFreedom Expertise in Physical Therapy Pregnancy Billing, Coding Accuracy & Revenue Optimization 

BillingFreedom specializes in managing complex healthcare billing scenarios such as physical therapy during pregnancy. It is where the correct application of OB global rules, ICD-10 coding, and CPT classification directly impacts reimbursement outcomes.

Our team has strong expertise in distinguishing global vs non-global care structures. Our specialists are well-trained in complicated cases like Physical therapy during pregnancy, ensuring that physical therapy services are correctly identified as separate, non-global services billed under standard CPT codes rather than OB maternity bundles.

Performance Benchmarks

Our billing performance statistic are:

• Coding Accuracy Rate: 99%
• Claim Acceptance Rate: 97%+ first-pass approval
• Denial Rate: Under 1%

These results are obtained by using specific claim review, coding validation and payer-specific compliance checks. 

Impact on Revenue Cycle

This high level of accuracy directly improves financial performance by: 

• Minimizing claim denials and rework 
• Improving reimbursement speed
• Boosting the number of clean claims submitted 
• Enhancing overall revenue stability for providers

To learn more about our outstanding medical billing services, you may not hesitate to get in touch with us through email at info@billingfreedom.com or phone at +1 (855) 415-3472. 

Our priority is your financial peace of mind!