CPT code 15155: Cultured allograft, face and other special sites2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California
Reports application of a tissue-cultured allograft to the face, scalp, neck, hands, feet, or genitalia for the initial treated area.
Medicare pays $869.50–$1,058.32 for 15155 in the office in California, from Chico, CA to San Benito County, CA. 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 15155 covers
This service covers placing a tissue-cultured allograft over a prepared wound on the face, scalp, neck, hands, feet, or genitalia. It is used in wound reconstruction, including burn care, when cultured donor skin is selected for coverage. A surgeon or other qualified clinician performs the graft application, commonly in an operating room for extensive or complex wounds.
Select this code for the specified recipient sites and the initial treated area; the site and measured area, rather than the donor source alone, distinguish it from other graft codes. For infants and children, the area measure may be expressed as a percentage of body surface area. Document the recipient site, wound area, graft type, and application performed. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this descriptor and anatomy. Assistant-at-surgery payment is statutorily restricted; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
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 15155 pays more and less in California
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
29 payment localities
$869.50 to $1058.32
29 of 29 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield, CA | $874.62 | $664.86 |
| Chico, CA | $869.50 | $659.74 |
| El Centro, CA | $869.81 | $660.05 |
| Fresno, CA | $869.50 | $659.74 |
| Hanford, CA | $869.50 | $659.74 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $925.01 | $698.60 |
| Madera, CA | $869.50 | $659.74 |
| Marin County, CA | $1,034.04 | $764.18 |
| Merced, CA | $869.50 | $659.74 |
| Modesto, CA | $869.50 | $659.74 |
| Napa, CA | $984.42 | $732.17 |
| Oxnard, CA | $917.75 | $691.53 |
| Redding, CA | $869.50 | $659.74 |
| Rest of California | $869.50 | $659.74 |
| Riverside, CA | $889.21 | $679.45 |
| Sacramento, CA | $906.39 | $683.81 |
| Salinas, CA | $902.91 | $681.10 |
| San Benito County, CA | $1,058.32 | $782.34 |
| San Diego, CA | $919.86 | $690.96 |
| San Francisco, CA | $1,031.96 | $762.10 |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | $889.15 | $671.16 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | $1,049.82 | $773.84 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | $925.20 | $692.66 |
| Santa Maria, CA | $905.12 | $681.96 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $934.11 | $699.09 |
| Stockton, CA | $869.50 | $659.74 |
| Vallejo, CA | $981.43 | $729.18 |
| Visalia, CA | $869.50 | $659.74 |
| Yuba City, CA | $869.50 | $659.74 |
How the 15155 rate is calculated
Each of 15155’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 · 15155
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work9.89
9.89 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense13.68
13.68 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.83
1.83 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
25.4000
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$848.38
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 15155
15155 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 15155
Cultured allograft, face and other special sites
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| 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) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.71/0.19 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 15155
Cultured allograft, face and other special sites
90-day global period ends
Dec 30, 2026
Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).
Visit on Oct 31, 2026
Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
15155 without 51 · national office
$848.38
Cultured allograft, face and other special sites
15155-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$424.19
When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).
15155 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 15150Cultured skin graftTrunk, arms, or legs
- Both describe tissue-cultured allograft application, but 15150 is for the trunk, arms, or legs; 15155 is for the face, scalp, neck, hands, feet, or genitalia.
- 15115Epidermal graftSpecial sites, first 100 sq cm
- This code is for tissue-cultured allograft at the special sites. Code 15115 describes epidermal allograft application at those sites.
- 15120Skin graftSpecial sites, initial area
- Use 15120 for split-thickness autograft application at the special sites; 15155 identifies a tissue-cultured allograft.
- 15135Dermal autograftSpecified sites, initial area
- Code 15135 describes dermal autograft application at the special sites, rather than tissue-cultured allograft application.
15155 billing questions
How is this code distinguished from 15150?
The recipient site is the key distinction: 15155 is for the face, scalp, neck, hands, feet, or genitalia. Code 15150 is for the trunk, arms, or legs.
What area should the record support?
Document the treated wound area and recipient site. For an infant or child, document the relevant body-surface-area measure when using that basis.
Is this the code for any skin substitute graft?
No. This code identifies a tissue-cultured allograft at the specified sites. Other graft codes distinguish different graft types or recipient-site groups.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
How are other same-session procedures paid?
Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50% when performed in the same session.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is subject to a statutory restriction. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted for this code.
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
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
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