CPT code 15570: Skin flap, trunk pedicle2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $981.32 for 15570 nationally in the office and $672.69 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $866.95–$1,244.50.

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What 15570 covers

This service covers creating a skin flap that remains attached to its blood supply through a pedicle, with or without moving it to the recipient site. It is used for trunk reconstruction, such as coverage of a defect on the chest, back, or abdomen. Plastic and reconstructive surgeons commonly perform the procedure in a hospital or outpatient surgical setting when local tissue can be used to cover the defect while maintaining vascular attachment.

Select the code by the flap method and the trunk location, rather than by defect size alone; document the donor and recipient sites and how the flap is formed and transferred. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery, and 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 15570 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

15570 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

How the 15570 rate is calculated

Each of 15570’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.

Payment rules and modifiers for 15570

15570 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

15570 compared with similar codes

How to choose

15572Skin flapArm or leg

Use 15570 for a trunk recipient site; 15572 is for an arm or leg.

14000Tissue transferTrunk, defect up to 10 sq cm

Use 15570 for formation of a direct or tubed skin pedicle flap. Code 14000 describes adjacent tissue transfer on the trunk.

15734Trunk flapMuscle, skin, or fascia flap

Code 15570 describes a skin pedicle flap; 15734 describes a trunk flap using muscle or myocutaneous tissue.

15600Flap delayTrunk site

Code 15570 describes forming the trunk pedicle flap. Code 15600 describes a trunk flap delay or later pedicle division and inset.

Codes related to 15570

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

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

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates