CPT code 15121: Skin graft, additional area, selected sites2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Texas
Reports each additional area of split-thickness skin grafting on specified sites such as the face, hands, feet, or multiple digits.
Medicare pays $207.34–$227.88 for 15121 in the office in Texas, from Beaumont, TX to Austin, TX. Which amount applies depends on the service address.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
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On this page 9 sections
What 15121 covers
This add-on represents additional recipient area covered with a split-thickness skin graft on sites such as the face, scalp, neck, hands, feet, genitalia, or multiple digits. The graft uses a thin layer of the patient’s own skin. Plastic surgeons, burn surgeons, and other surgeons may use it for reconstruction after burns, trauma, or excision, often in an operating room or hospital setting.
Use 15121 only with the initial-area code 15120. The additional area is counted in 100-square-centimeter increments, or in 1% body-area increments for infants and children. Document the recipient site, graft type, patient age when relevant, and the measured graft area supporting the units reported. CMS classifies 15121 as an add-on code: it is billed with a primary procedure and paid within that procedure’s global period.
This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.
Where 15121 pays more and less in Texas
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
8 payment localities
$207.34 to $227.88
8 of 8 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Austin, TX | $227.88 | $120.10 |
| Beaumont, TX | $207.34 | $114.64 |
| Brazoria, TX | $217.27 | $116.32 |
| Dallas, TX | $219.14 | $117.68 |
| Fort Worth, TX | $217.90 | $117.46 |
| Galveston, TX | $218.23 | $117.07 |
| Houston, TX | $225.92 | $124.76 |
| Rest of Texas | $212.51 | $115.84 |
How the 15121 rate is calculated
Each of 15121’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 15121
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work1.95
1.95 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense4.25
4.25 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.42
0.42 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
6.6200
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$221.11
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 15121
The CMS indicators that decide how 15121 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 15121
Skin graft, additional area, selected sites
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | ZZZ | Add-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
15121 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 15120Skin graftSpecial sites, initial area
- 15120 reports the initial split-thickness graft area on the specified sites; 15121 reports additional area and is used with 15120.
- 15101Skin graftAdditional area, trunk or limb
- 15101 is the additional-area split-thickness graft code for the trunk, arms, or legs. 15121 is for the specified face, scalp, neck, hand, foot, genital, or multiple-digit sites.
- 15116Epidermal graftEach additional 100 sq cm
- 15116 reports additional epidermal graft area on specified sites. Choose 15121 when the additional graft is split-thickness.
- 15136Dermal autograftEach additional area
- 15136 reports additional dermal graft area on specified sites; 15121 is for additional split-thickness graft area.
15121 billing questions
Can 15121 be reported without 15120?
No. It is an add-on for additional split-thickness graft area and is reported with 15120 for the initial area.
How is the additional graft area counted?
Count additional area in 100-square-centimeter increments. For infants and children, the measure is each additional 1% of body area.
When should 15100 or 15101 be used instead?
Those split-thickness graft codes apply to the trunk, arms, or legs. Use the 15120/15121 site group for the face, scalp, neck, hands, feet, genitalia, or multiple digits.
How does 15121 differ from 15116?
Both are add-on codes for specified sites, but 15121 is for split-thickness grafting and 15116 is for epidermal grafting.
What documentation supports reporting 15121?
Record the graft type, recipient site, and measured area. For an infant or child, document the body-area measure used to support the additional units.
How does the global-period rule affect payment?
CMS identifies 15121 as an add-on billed with a primary procedure and paid within that procedure’s global period.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
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