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CPT code 15838: Fat pad excision, under-chin adipose tissue2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports surgical removal of excess submental adipose tissue, typically to reduce a localized fat pad beneath the chin during facial or neck contouring.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare pays $599.88 for 15838 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 15838

Fat pad excision, under-chin adipose tissue

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
8.04
Total RVUs
17.96
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$599.88

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 15838 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

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

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 15838 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 15838 covers

A surgeon removes excess adipose tissue in the submental region beneath the chin. Plastic and facial plastic surgeons commonly perform this contouring procedure in an outpatient operating room or hospital setting, sometimes as part of a broader neck or lower-face operation. The service is directed at the submental fat pad rather than excess skin elsewhere on the body or a general neck-lift procedure.

Report the code when the operative work removes the submental fat pad; documentation should identify the treated site, the excess tissue addressed, and the procedure performed. The code has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. 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 15838 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

15838 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$543.19
AlaskaUnavailable$730.28
ArizonaUnavailable$584.02
ArkansasUnavailable$536.16
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$615.13
Austin, TXUnavailable$611.13
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$612.72
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$636.47
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$571.00
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$588.62

15838 rates by state

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

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Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

View every state and territory as a table
15838 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the 15838 rate is calculated

Each of 15838’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 · 15838

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work8.04

8.04 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense8.44

8.44 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice1.48

1.48 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

17.9600

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$599.88

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 15838

15838 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 15838

Fat pad excision, under-chin adipose tissue

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)0Not paid without supporting documentation.
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.10/0.71/0.19Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 15838

Fat pad excision, under-chin adipose tissue

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.

  • 24Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

15838 without 51 · national facility

$599.88

Fat pad excision, under-chin adipose tissue

15838-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$299.94

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%).

When to use modifier 51

15838 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 15838

    Fat pad excision, under-chin adipose tissue8.04 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 15825

    Neck lift, platysma tightening0 wRVU

    $0.00

  • 15839

    Excess skin excision, other anatomical area10.24 wRVU

    $958.94

  • 15876

    Fat removal, head and neck0 wRVU

    $0.00

How to choose

15825Neck liftPlatysma tightening
Use 15838 for excision directed at the submental fat pad. Use 15825 for a neck rhytidectomy involving broader neck-lifting work.
15839Excess skin excisionOther anatomical area
Use 15838 for the specifically identified submental fat pad; 15839 describes excision of excessive skin in another area.
15876Fat removalHead and neck
Use 15838 for excision of the submental fat pad. Use 15876 when the service is suction-assisted lipectomy of the head and neck.

Codes related to 15838

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

Codes related to 15838
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Often billed with
15825Neck lift, platysma tighteningNeck rhytidectomy may be performed in the same session when broader neck-lifting work is undertaken.$0.00
Same family
15839Excess skin excision, other anatomical areaCovers excision of excessive skin in another area; this code identifies the submental fat pad.$849.78–$1,210.83
Used instead
15876Fat removal, head and neckReports suction-assisted lipectomy of the head and neck rather than excision of the submental fat pad.$0.00

15838 billing questions

How is this code distinguished from a neck rhytidectomy?

This code reports excision of the submental fat pad. A neck rhytidectomy addresses the broader neck-lifting work, such as skin and platysmal tightening.

Can it be reported with a neck-lift procedure?

It may be performed in the same session as a neck lift when the surgeon performs distinct submental fat-pad excision. Document the separate work and apply the same-session multiple-procedure payment rule.

Should modifier 50 be used for work under the chin?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.

What documentation supports reporting this code?

The operative report should specify the submental location, the excess fat pad treated, and the excision performed. A general description of neck contouring alone does not establish this specific service.

When is assistant-at-surgery payment allowed?

Only when the record documents medical necessity for the assistant. Co-surgeon and team-surgery payment are not permitted for this code.

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
RVUs for 15838PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 1,577 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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