CPT code 15828: Facelift, cheek, chin, and neck2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California
Surgical lifting of the cheek, chin, and neck tissues, reported when the documented procedure addresses these facial regions and meets Medicare coverage criteria.
Medicare pays $0.00 for 15828 in the office in California (Bakersfield, CA). Which amount applies depends on the service address.
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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On this page 9 sections
What 15828 covers
This service is a lower-face and neck lift involving cheek, chin, and neck tissues. The surgeon adjusts and redrapes facial soft tissue and skin to improve contour; plastic surgeons commonly perform it in an operating-room surgical setting. The operative report should distinguish this broader regional procedure from a neck-only lift or a forehead procedure. When the surgeon uses a SMAS flap, compare the documentation with 15829.
Medicare payment is restricted to specific circumstances, so documentation should identify the circumstance supporting coverage and describe the work performed. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and applies the standard reduction to the others. Modifier 50 identifies bilateral work and is 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 15828 pays more and less in California
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
29 of 29 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Chico, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| El Centro, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Fresno, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Hanford, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Madera, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Marin County, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Merced, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Modesto, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Napa, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Oxnard, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Redding, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Rest of California | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Riverside, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Sacramento, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Salinas, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| San Benito County, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| San Diego, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| San Francisco, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Santa Maria, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Stockton, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Vallejo, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Visalia, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Yuba City, CA | $0.00 | $0.00 |
How the 15828 rate is calculated
Each of 15828’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 · 15828
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.00
0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.00
0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.00
0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
0.0000
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$0.00
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 15828
The CMS indicators that decide how 15828 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 15828
Facelift, cheek, chin, and neck
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
15828 without 50 · national office
$0.00
Facelift, cheek, chin, and neck
15828-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$0.00
Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).
15828 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 15825Neck liftPlatysma tightening
- Use 15825 for a neck-only rhytidectomy. This code describes work involving the cheek, chin, and neck.
- 15829FaceliftSMAS flap technique
- 15829 identifies rhytidectomy involving a SMAS flap. Choose based on the documented operative technique rather than treating it as a regional neck-only code.
- 15824Forehead liftForehead rhytidectomy
- 15824 addresses forehead lifting. This code is for the cheek, chin, and neck regions.
15828 billing questions
When should this code be chosen over the neck-only rhytidectomy code?
Use this code when the operative work addresses the cheek, chin, and neck. A procedure limited to the neck is represented by 15825.
How is Medicare coverage established for this procedure?
Medicare payment is restricted to specific circumstances. Documentation should identify the circumstance supporting coverage and describe the procedure performed.
Is same-day postoperative care separately reported?
No. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
How does the multiple-procedure rule affect payment?
When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral work?
Yes. CMS identifies this as a bilateral procedure; modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
An assistant at surgery is paid only with documentation of medical necessity. Co-surgeons and team surgery 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.
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