CPT code 15835: Skin excision, buttock2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Texas
Removal of redundant skin from the buttock is reported when the operative work is directed to excess skin at this specific anatomic site.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 15835 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 15835 covers
CPT 15835 describes an operation to remove excessive skin from the buttock. Plastic surgeons commonly perform this work for redundant tissue that affects the buttock’s contour, including after substantial weight loss. The operative report should identify the buttock as the treated site and describe the skin excised and the procedure performed. This code is site-specific; excess skin removed from a separately treated hip or thigh is represented by a different code in the same family.
Report the code for the buttock work performed, supported by the operative documentation. It has a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included. When procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. An assistant at surgery is paid only when medical necessity is documented; 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 15835 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 | $856.50 |
| Beaumont, TX | Unavailable | $808.26 |
| Brazoria, TX | Unavailable | $827.74 |
| Dallas, TX | Unavailable | $836.00 |
| Fort Worth, TX | Unavailable | $833.59 |
| Galveston, TX | Unavailable | $832.19 |
| Houston, TX | Unavailable | $875.21 |
| Rest of Texas | Unavailable | $819.60 |
How the 15835 rate is calculated
Each of 15835’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 · 15835
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work12.67
12.67 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense10.27
10.27 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice2.35
2.35 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
25.2900
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$844.71
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 15835
15835 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 15835
Skin excision, buttock
| 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) | 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. |
| 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 · 15835
Skin excision, buttock
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
15835 without 51 · national facility
$844.71
Skin excision, buttock
15835-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$422.36
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%).
15835 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 15834Skin excisionHip region
- 15835 identifies buttock skin excision; 15834 identifies the hip as the treated site. Use the documented operative site to distinguish them.
- 15832Thigh liftExcess skin excision
- 15832 is for excessive skin of the thigh. Report 15835 when the excision is on the buttock.
- 15839Excess skin excisionOther anatomical area
- 15839 covers excessive skin in another area. The buttock has its own site-specific code, 15835.
- 15830PanniculectomyInfraumbilical skin and tissue
- 15830 identifies abdominal skin excision, not buttock excision. Choose based on the site documented in the operative report.
15835 billing questions
How do I distinguish this code from the hip or thigh skin-excision codes?
Use 15835 when the excision is on the buttock. The hip and thigh have separate site-specific codes, 15834 and 15832.
Can modifier 50 be used for both buttocks?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code, so modifier 50 should not be used.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
How are other procedures performed in the same session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.
When is an assistant at surgery payable?
Payment for an assistant at surgery requires documentation of medical necessity. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
What documentation supports reporting 15835?
The operative report should identify the buttock as the treated site and describe the redundant skin removed and the work 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
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
Fee sheets
Put 15835 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Your codes at your locality, with payer contracts beside Medicare.
Build my fee sheet