CPT code 15770: Composite tissue graft, dermis, fat, and fascia2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Texas
Reports placement of a dermis-fat-fascia tissue graft to restore or reinforce a soft-tissue area when a composite graft is selected.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 15770 in Texas.
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 15770 covers
This procedure uses a composite graft containing dermis, subcutaneous fat, and fascia to restore volume or reinforce deficient soft tissue. Plastic and reconstructive surgeons may use it when a defect or contour problem calls for this combination of tissues rather than a skin-only graft, a fat-only graft, or a flap. The operative record should identify the graft tissue, the recipient area, and the reconstructive purpose.
Report the code for the derma-fat-fascia graft service, with documentation supporting why this graft type was selected and describing the operative work. 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 one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be allowed; 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 15770 pays more and less in Texas
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
8 of 8 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Austin, TX | Unavailable | $616.94 |
| Beaumont, TX | Unavailable | $578.83 |
| Brazoria, TX | Unavailable | $595.80 |
| Dallas, TX | Unavailable | $601.10 |
| Fort Worth, TX | Unavailable | $599.04 |
| Galveston, TX | Unavailable | $598.59 |
| Houston, TX | Unavailable | $624.40 |
| Rest of Texas | Unavailable | $588.03 |
How the 15770 rate is calculated
Each of 15770’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 · 15770
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work8.74
8.74 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense8.00
8.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.41
1.41 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
18.1500
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$606.23
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 15770
15770 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 15770
Composite tissue graft, dermis, fat, and fascia
| 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 · 15770
Composite tissue graft, dermis, fat, and fascia
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
15770 without 51 · national facility
$606.23
Composite tissue graft, dermis, fat, and fascia
15770-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$303.12
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%).
15770 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 15769Soft-tissue graftDirect-excision harvest
- 15769 describes another autologous soft-tissue grafting approach involving direct excision. Choose 15770 when the graft is specifically a dermis-fat-fascia composite.
- 15771Fat grafting50 cc or less, body sites
- 15771 is for autologous fat grafting harvested by liposuction. It is not the code for a graft combining dermis, fat, and fascia.
- 15760Composite graftMultiple tissue types
- 15760 applies to composite skin grafting. Choose 15770 when the graft is the dermis-fat-fascia tissue combination.
15770 billing questions
How does this differ from 15769?
Use 15770 for a graft of dermis, fat, and fascia. Code 15769 describes a different autologous soft-tissue grafting approach involving direct excision.
How does this differ from 15771?
Code 15771 is for autologous fat grafting using liposuction harvest. Code 15770 is selected for the composite dermis-fat-fascia graft.
Can modifier 50 be reported?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code based on its descriptor or anatomy.
What does the 90-day global period include?
It includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
What documentation supports reporting this graft?
Document the composite tissue used, the recipient area, the reconstructive purpose, and the operative work. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation.
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 15770 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Your codes at your locality, with payer contracts beside Medicare.
Join the waitlist