CPT code 15824: Forehead lift, forehead rhytidectomy2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $0.00 for 15824 nationally in the office and $0.00 in a hospital or facility.

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

What 15824 covers

A forehead rhytidectomy surgically lifts and repositions forehead tissues to address forehead aging changes. Plastic surgeons and facial plastic surgeons typically perform it in an operating room or outpatient surgical setting. The operative approach can vary, so the record should identify the treated area and describe the work performed rather than relying on a general label such as “facial rejuvenation.”

CMS classifies this service as restricted coverage: payment is limited to specific circumstances. The documentation should explain the clinical indication and findings that support a covered circumstance; cosmetic rejuvenation alone is not a basis for Medicare payment. CMS lists zero work, practice-expense, and malpractice RVUs. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Modifier 50 applies to a bilateral procedure, paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; 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 15824 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

15824 rates by state

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

How the 15824 rate is calculated

Each of 15824’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 15824

The CMS indicators that decide how 15824 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 50

15824 compared with similar codes

How to choose

15825Neck liftPlatysma tightening

Use 15825 for neck rhytidectomy with platysmal tightening; 15824 is for forehead rhytidectomy.

15826Facial rhytidectomyGlabellar region

Use 15826 for rhytidectomy directed to glabellar forehead lines. Code 15824 describes the broader forehead-lifting service.

15822Upper eyelid surgeryWithout lid-weighting excess skin

15822 describes upper eyelid surgery, not forehead lifting. When both areas are operated on, the record should distinguish the eyelid work from the forehead procedure.

15828FaceliftCheek, chin, and neck

15828 is for rhytidectomy involving the cheek, chin, and neck; 15824 is specific to the forehead.

Codes related to 15824

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