CPT code 15769: Soft-tissue graft, direct-excision harvest2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Maryland
Reports placement of a patient's own soft tissue harvested by direct excision to restore volume or fill a defect during reconstructive surgery.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 15769 in Maryland.
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 15769 covers
The surgeon excises the patient's own soft tissue, such as fat, dermis, or fascia, and grafts it to another site. This service may be part of reconstruction for a contour defect after trauma, tumor removal, or prior surgery. Plastic and reconstructive surgeons and other surgeons performing the repair typically provide it in an operating room or another procedural setting.
Report the service when documentation supports both direct-excision harvest and graft placement; the harvest and placement are integral to the grafting service, not separate services under this code. The record should identify the tissue, harvest method, recipient site, and reconstructive purpose. 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 is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant-at-surgery claim for this service, 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 15769 pays more and less in Maryland
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore area, MD | Unavailable | $482.66 |
| Rest of Maryland | Unavailable | $455.43 |
| Washington, DC area | Unavailable | $505.65 |
How the 15769 rate is calculated
Each of 15769’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 · 15769
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work6.51
6.51 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense5.77
5.77 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.33
1.33 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
13.6100
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$454.59
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 15769
15769 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 15769
Soft-tissue graft, direct-excision harvest
| 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) | 0.10/0.69/0.21 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 15769
Soft-tissue graft, direct-excision harvest
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
15769 without 51 · national facility
$454.59
Soft-tissue graft, direct-excision harvest
15769-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$227.30
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%).
15769 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 15770Composite tissue graftDermis, fat, and fascia
- Use 15769 for other autologous soft tissue harvested by direct excision. Use 15770 when the graft is specifically a dermis-fat-fascia graft.
- 15771Fat grafting50 cc or less, body sites
- Use 15771 for autologous fat grafting to the trunk, breasts, scalp, arms, or legs when fat is harvested by liposuction and the code's volume criteria are met.
- 15773Fat grafting25 cc or less, specified sites
- Use 15773 for liposuction-harvested autologous fat grafting to the specified head and neck sites when its volume criteria are met; direct-excision harvest supports 15769 instead.
15769 billing questions
How does this differ from 15771 or 15773?
This code is for soft tissue harvested by direct excision. Codes 15771 and 15773 describe autologous fat grafting when the fat is harvested by liposuction; select the code based on the documented harvest method and applicable site and volume criteria.
Can the harvest be billed separately?
The direct-excision harvest and graft placement are part of this grafting service. Do not report the harvest separately as though it were an independent service under this code.
Should modifier 50 be used for grafting on both sides?
No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. Report the service based on the documented grafting performed.
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?
Medicare does not pay an assistant-at-surgery claim for this service. Co-surgeon and team-surgery reporting 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 · Coming soon
Put 15769 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Your codes at your locality, with payer contracts beside Medicare.
Join the waitlist