FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

CPT code 20912: Cartilage graft, nasal septum2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Harvest of nasal septal cartilage for grafting during nasal reconstruction is reported when the surgeon obtains cartilage separately from recipient-site work.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities864 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $435.21 for 20912 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 20912

Cartilage graft, nasal septum

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
6.38
Total RVUs
13.03
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$435.21

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 20912 →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 20912 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 20912 covers

A surgeon harvests cartilage from the nasal septum for use as graft material in a nasal reconstruction. Otolaryngologists, facial plastic surgeons, and plastic surgeons may perform the harvest during an operative repair or reconstructive procedure. The harvested cartilage can support or reshape nasal structures, while the recipient-site procedure addresses the underlying deformity or defect.

Report the code when the operative documentation supports a distinct harvest of septal cartilage for grafting, alongside the procedure using the graft when separately reportable. The code has a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included. 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 multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. 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 20912 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

20912 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$397.13
AlaskaUnavailable$539.03
ArizonaUnavailable$424.55
ArkansasUnavailable$392.41
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$445.59
Austin, TXUnavailable$442.78
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$444.32
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$460.32
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$415.86
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$427.87

20912 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

Explore a state

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
20912 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 20912 rate is calculated

Each of 20912’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 · 20912

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work6.38

6.38 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense5.65

5.65 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice1.00

1.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

13.0300

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$435.21

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 20912

20912 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 20912

Cartilage graft, nasal septum

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)0.10/0.69/0.21Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 20912

Cartilage graft, nasal septum

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

20912 without 51 · national facility

$435.21

Cartilage graft, nasal septum

20912-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$217.61

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

20912 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 20912

    Cartilage graft, nasal septum6.38 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 20910

    Cartilage harvest, costal cartilage5.39 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 20920

    Fascia graft, fascia lata harvest5.37 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 20900

    Bone graft harvest, minor or small graft2.93 wRVU

    $398.14

  • 30465

    Nasal stenosis repair, structural vestibular repair12.05 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

20910Cartilage harvestCostal cartilage
Choose 20912 for septal cartilage harvest; 20910 identifies costochondral cartilage harvest.
20920Fascia graftFascia lata harvest
20920 covers fascia harvest for grafting, not cartilage obtained from the nasal septum.
20900Bone graft harvestMinor or small graft
20900 is for bone graft harvest; use 20912 when the harvested graft material is nasal septal cartilage.
30465Nasal stenosis repairStructural vestibular repair
30465 describes repair of nasal vestibular stenosis. It is a recipient-site procedure, not the septal cartilage harvest itself.

Codes related to 20912

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

Codes related to 20912
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
20910Cartilage harvest, costal cartilageCartilage graft harvest from a costochondral source rather than the nasal septum.No office rate
Often billed with
30465Nasal stenosis repair, structural vestibular repairNasal vestibular stenosis repair may use separately harvested septal cartilage.No office rate
Used instead
20900Bone graft harvest, minor or small graftBone graft harvest for cases requiring bone rather than septal cartilage.$350.28–$527.10
20920Fascia graft, fascia lata harvestFascial graft harvest when fascia, rather than cartilage, is selected as graft material.No office rate

20912 billing questions

How is this different from 20910?

This code is for cartilage harvested from the nasal septum. Code 20910 is used for costochondral cartilage harvest.

Can the graft harvest be reported with the nasal reconstruction?

Report the harvest with the recipient-site procedure when the surgeon separately obtains septal cartilage for grafting and the documentation supports both services. Check applicable coding edits for the specific procedure pair.

Does this code include postoperative visits?

Its 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

Can modifier 50 be used when cartilage is taken from both sides of the septum?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.

When is an assistant at surgery payable?

Assistant-at-surgery payment is limited to cases 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.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
RVUs for 20912PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 1,807 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 20912 pays?

Tell us what you were actually trying to work out. We’ll answer you directly, or build the page that does.

Fee sheets

Put 20912 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

Your codes at your locality, with payer contracts beside Medicare.

Build my fee sheet