CPT code 21142: Le Fort I reconstruction, two-piece, without bone graft2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California

Reports Le Fort I midface reconstruction in which the maxilla is divided into two pieces and repositioned without bone grafting.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 202629 payment localities

CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 21142 in California.

—Office (non-facility)
$1,251.19–$1,479.36Hospital 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.

Your location

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

On this page 9 sections
  1. Rate in California
  2. What 21142 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. How it’s calculated
  5. Payment rules
  6. Similar codes
  7. Related codes
  8. Billing questions
  9. Sources

What 21142 covers

This operation reconstructs the midface by mobilizing the maxilla with a Le Fort I osteotomy, dividing it into two segments, and repositioning the segments to address a skeletal deformity or related bite problem. An oral and maxillofacial surgeon or another surgeon trained in craniofacial reconstruction typically performs it in an operating room, often as part of corrective jaw surgery.

Select this code when the operative report supports a two-piece maxillary reconstruction and the procedure is performed without bone grafting. The report should identify the osteotomy, number of resulting segments, repositioning, and any grafting. When bone grafting is part of the procedure, compare the two-piece with-graft code, 21146. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur 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. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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 21142 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

21142 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$1,259.51
Chico, CAUnavailable$1,251.19
El Centro, CAUnavailable$1,251.67
Fresno, CAUnavailable$1,251.19
Hanford, CAUnavailable$1,251.19
Los Angeles, CAUnavailable$1,321.24
Madera, CAUnavailable$1,251.19
Marin County, CAUnavailable$1,446.65
Merced, CAUnavailable$1,251.19
Modesto, CAUnavailable$1,251.19

How the 21142 rate is calculated

Each of 21142’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 · 21142

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work19.77

19.77 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense14.43

14.43 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice2.87

2.87 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

37.0700

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$1,238.17

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 21142

21142 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 21142

Le Fort I reconstruction, two-piece, without bone graft

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)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
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 · 21142

Le Fort I reconstruction, two-piece, without bone graft

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

21142 without 51 · national facility

$1,238.17

Le Fort I reconstruction, two-piece, without bone graft

21142-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$619.09

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

21142 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 21142

    Le Fort I reconstruction, two-piece, without bone graft19.77 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 21141

    Le Fort I reconstruction, one-piece, without graft19.08 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 21143

    LeFort I reconstruction, three or more pieces20.52 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 21146

    Midface reconstruction, two-piece with bone graft24.25 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

21141Le Fort I reconstructionOne-piece, without graft
Use 21141 when the maxilla is reconstructed as one piece; use 21142 when the operative report documents two pieces.
21143LeFort I reconstructionThree or more pieces
Use 21143 for three or more pieces. The distinction from 21142 is the number of maxillary segments, not the number of separate procedures.
21146Midface reconstructionTwo-piece with bone graft
Both represent two-piece Le Fort I reconstruction; 21146 is the with-bone-graft code, while 21142 is without bone graft.

21142 billing questions

How is 21142 different from 21141 or 21143?

Choose by the number of maxillary segments documented: 21141 is for one piece, 21142 for two, and 21143 for three or more.

When should the with-graft code be considered?

Use the two-piece with-graft family member, 21146, when bone grafting is part of the reconstruction. The operative report should document the grafting.

Should modifier 50 be appended for bilateral work?

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

What postoperative care is included?

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

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeons are paid only with supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.

How are other procedures in the same session handled?

CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and applies the standard multiple-procedure reduction to other procedures performed in that session.

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 21142PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 1,887 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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