Outpatient pregnancy primer: CPT coding for delivery and the postpartum

Why This Topic Matters

Obstetric encounters often involve bundled maternity services, time-based care periods, and multiple delivery scenarios that affect how claims are reported. Understanding this material helps professionals identify when services are part of a global package versus separately reported and supports more accurate outpatient OB billing.

Article Sections

1. Stages of labor

   Overview of the stages of labor and the general clinical flow of childbirth. Includes broad discussion of delivery events and placental delivery.

2. Cesarean deliveries

   General discussion of cesarean birth procedures and when this delivery type may be used. Covers the broad surgical steps involved in delivery.

3. VBAC deliveries

   Brief overview of vaginal birth after cesarean and related delivery scenarios. Notes that this topic is addressed in the context of obstetric coding.

4. Postpartum care

   General discussion of postpartum follow-up after discharge and the kinds of outpatient care involved. Addresses the post-delivery care period in broad terms.

5. Billing the global package

   CPT global maternity package concepts and the overall timeframe for routine obstetric care. Discusses how delivery and postpartum care are grouped for billing purposes.

6. Global OB package

   Describes the organizational and practice-setting considerations associated with routine obstetric care. Covers how care may be delivered within a single provider or group practice structure.

7. Criteria for splitting the global OB package

   Broad circumstances under which obstetric services may need to be separated from a global package. Focuses on situations that affect billing structure and care continuity.

8. Billing a split OB package

   Overview of the split-package obstetric coding framework and the types of services addressed in that structure. Includes antepartum, delivery, and postpartum reporting categories.