CPT code 15734: Trunk flap, muscle, skin, or fascia flap2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Missouri
Reports transfer of a muscle-based, skin-and-muscle, or fascia-and-skin flap to cover or reconstruct a defect of the trunk.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 15734 in Missouri.
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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What 15734 covers
This code describes moving a muscle-based, skin-and-muscle, or fascia-and-skin flap to cover or reconstruct a trunk defect. Plastic, general, and reconstructive surgeons may use it after tumor removal or trauma, or when durable tissue coverage is needed for an abdominal or chest-wall defect. Pedicled rectus-based reconstruction and trunk pressure-wound coverage are representative settings. A flap carries its blood supply during transfer, unlike a free skin graft.
Select the code based on the flap tissue and the recipient region, rather than defect size alone. The operative report should identify the flap components, donor and recipient sites, and transfer method, including whether the flap remains pedicled or is transferred as free tissue. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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 15734 pays more and less in Missouri
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Kansas City, MO | Unavailable | $1,354.23 |
| Metropolitan St. Louis, MO | Unavailable | $1,364.52 |
| Rest of Missouri | Unavailable | $1,317.44 |
How the 15734 rate is calculated
Each of 15734’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 · 15734
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work22.43
22.43 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense14.11
14.11 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice4.98
4.98 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
41.5200
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$1,386.81
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 15734
15734 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 15734
Trunk flap, muscle, skin, or fascia flap
| 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) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| 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 · 15734
Trunk flap, muscle, skin, or fascia flap
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
15734 without 51 · national facility
$1,386.81
Trunk flap, muscle, skin, or fascia flap
15734-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$693.41
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%).
15734 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 15733Pedicled flapHead and neck, named pedicle
- This code is for a trunk defect; 15733 is the related flap code for a head or neck recipient region.
- 15736Flap reconstructionUpper extremity
- Choose this code for a trunk recipient region. Code 15736 applies when the flap covers an arm defect.
- 15738Lower-extremity flapMuscle, myocutaneous, or fasciocutaneous
- Choose this code for a trunk recipient region. Code 15738 applies when the flap covers a leg defect.
- 15756Free tissue flapMuscle or myocutaneous
- Use 15756 for a free muscle or skin flap transferred with microvascular technique; this code describes a trunk flap that is not reported as that free-flap service.
15734 billing questions
How is this code distinguished from the arm and leg flap codes?
Use this code when the flap covers a trunk defect. The related arm and leg codes are selected for defects in those respective regions.
When would a free-flap code be considered instead?
A free-flap code is considered when tissue is completely separated from its donor site and transferred with microvascular reconnection. This code represents a trunk flap that is not reported as a free microvascular flap.
Should modifier 50 be used for bilateral trunk work?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
The operative report should describe the flap tissue, donor and recipient locations, and how the flap was transferred to cover the trunk defect.
How are multiple procedures in the same session paid?
CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and applies the standard multiple-procedure reduction to the others. The code also has a 90-day 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
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
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