CPT code 15220: Skin graft, scalp, arm, or leg, up to 20 sq cm2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California
Reports reconstruction of a scalp, arm, or leg skin defect with a full-thickness graft when the recipient area is 20 square centimeters or less.
Medicare pays $816.31–$1,007.58 for 15220 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.
Your location
On this page 9 sections
What 15220 covers
This service reconstructs a skin defect by transferring epidermis and the full dermis from a donor site to a recipient site on the scalp, arm, or leg. It may be used to cover a defect after skin-cancer excision, trauma, or another operation when a graft is selected instead of rearranging nearby tissue. The surgeon harvests the graft and directly closes the donor wound; that closure is included. Plastic, dermatologic, and other surgeons may perform the procedure in an office-based or facility setting.
Report this base code when the recipient graft area is 20 square centimeters or less. For additional graft area, report 15221 according to the area treated. Documentation should identify the recipient and donor sites, total graft area, and graft placement. Medicare 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; assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted, and co-surgeon and team-surgery billing 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 15220 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
$816.31 to $1007.58
29 of 29 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield, CA | $819.57 | $550.87 |
| Chico, CA | $816.31 | $547.61 |
| El Centro, CA | $816.50 | $547.80 |
| Fresno, CA | $816.31 | $547.61 |
| Hanford, CA | $816.31 | $547.61 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $869.35 | $579.33 |
| Madera, CA | $816.31 | $547.61 |
| Marin County, CA | $985.32 | $639.64 |
| Merced, CA | $816.31 | $547.61 |
| Modesto, CA | $816.31 | $547.61 |
| Napa, CA | $934.38 | $611.26 |
| Oxnard, CA | $863.91 | $574.13 |
| Redding, CA | $816.31 | $547.61 |
| Rest of California | $816.31 | $547.61 |
| Riverside, CA | $828.43 | $559.73 |
| Sacramento, CA | $853.61 | $568.48 |
| Salinas, CA | $850.36 | $566.22 |
| San Benito County, CA | $1,007.58 | $654.06 |
| San Diego, CA | $868.16 | $574.94 |
| San Francisco, CA | $984.05 | $638.37 |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | $837.03 | $557.79 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | $1,002.38 | $648.86 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | $874.72 | $576.85 |
| Santa Maria, CA | $852.95 | $567.09 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $883.36 | $582.30 |
| Stockton, CA | $816.31 | $547.61 |
| Vallejo, CA | $932.55 | $609.43 |
| Visalia, CA | $816.31 | $547.61 |
| Yuba City, CA | $816.31 | $547.61 |
How the 15220 rate is calculated
Each of 15220’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 · 15220
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work7.89
7.89 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense14.43
14.43 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.12
1.12 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
23.4400
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$782.92
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 15220
15220 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 15220
Skin graft, scalp, arm, or leg, up to 20 sq cm
| 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 · 15220
Skin graft, scalp, arm, or leg, up to 20 sq cm
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
15220 without 51 · national office
$782.92
Skin graft, scalp, arm, or leg, up to 20 sq cm
15220-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$391.46
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%).
15220 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 15200Skin graftTrunk, 20 sq cm or less
- Both codes report full-thickness grafting, but 15200 is for trunk recipient sites; 15220 is for the scalp, arms, or legs.
- 15240Skin graftSpecified sites, 20 sq cm or less
- Use 15240 for its specified face, neck, hand, foot, and other recipient sites rather than the scalp, arm, or leg sites covered by 15220.
- 15260Full-thickness graftNose, ear, eyelid, or lip
- Use 15260 for grafts to the nose, ear, eyelid, or lip; 15220 covers scalp, arm, or leg recipient sites.
- 15271Skin substitute graftFirst 25 cm², trunk/limbs
- 15220 reports a full-thickness skin graft. Code 15271 is for applying a skin substitute graft to the trunk, arm, or leg.
15220 billing questions
When should 15220 be chosen instead of 15200?
Use 15220 for a full-thickness graft to the scalp, arm, or leg. Code 15200 is for a graft to the trunk.
What is included in the graft service?
The graft harvest and direct closure of the donor wound are included. Do not separately report that direct donor-site closure as another service.
How is graft area above 20 square centimeters reported?
Use 15220 for the initial area up to 20 square centimeters and report 15221 for additional graft area.
Can modifier 50 be used when grafting both arms or legs?
No. CMS identifies modifier 50 as inappropriate for this code; report the service based on the graft area and documented sites.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted for this service. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
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
Fee sheets
Put 15220 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Your codes at your locality, with payer contracts beside Medicare.
Build my fee sheet