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CPT code 41510: Tongue adhesion, tongue-to-lip fixation2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports surgical fixation of the tongue to the lip, commonly to limit posterior tongue movement in an infant with glossoptosis and airway obstruction.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare pays $430.87 for 41510 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 41510

Tongue adhesion, tongue-to-lip fixation

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
3.42
Total RVUs
12.90
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$430.87

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 41510 →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 41510 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 41510 covers

The surgeon secures the tongue forward to the lip to reduce its tendency to fall back and obstruct the airway. A common clinical setting is an infant with micrognathia and glossoptosis, including Pierre Robin sequence. An otolaryngologist or oral and maxillofacial surgeon typically performs the operation in an operating room under general anesthesia.

Report 41510 when the operative work is tongue-to-lip fixation, rather than another tongue procedure intended to address obstruction. The operative report should identify the fixation performed and the clinical problem it addresses. CMS assigns 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 one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. An assistant is paid only when medical necessity is documented. Modifier 50 is inappropriate; 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 41510 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

41510 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$386.34
AlaskaUnavailable$500.33
ArizonaUnavailable$419.24
ArkansasUnavailable$380.71
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$439.25
Austin, TXUnavailable$446.71
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$455.63
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$458.44
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$402.68
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$425.55

41510 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
41510 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 41510 rate is calculated

Each of 41510’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 · 41510

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work3.42

3.42 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense9.00

9.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice0.48

0.48 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

12.9000

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$430.87

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 41510

41510 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 41510

Tongue adhesion, tongue-to-lip fixation

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)0.09/0.81/0.10Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 41510

Tongue adhesion, tongue-to-lip fixation

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

41510 without 51 · national facility

$430.87

Tongue adhesion, tongue-to-lip fixation

41510-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$215.44

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

41510 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 41510

    Tongue adhesion, tongue-to-lip fixation3.42 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 41512

    Tongue suspension, permanent suture technique6.69 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 41520

    Frenuloplasty, for restricted tongue movement2.76 wRVU

    $361.06

  • 41530

    Tongue base reduction, radiofrequency, one or more areas3.41 wRVU

    $919.53

How to choose

41512Tongue suspensionPermanent suture technique
41510 fixes the tongue to the lip; 41512 describes tongue suspension, a different operative technique.
41520FrenuloplastyFor restricted tongue movement
41520 concerns reconstruction of a tongue fold, not tongue-to-lip fixation for limiting posterior tongue movement.
41530Tongue base reductionRadiofrequency, one or more areas
41530 reduces tongue-base volume; 41510 holds the tongue forward by attaching it to the lip.

Codes related to 41510

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

Codes related to 41510
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
41512Tongue suspension, permanent suture techniqueTongue suspension is a different procedure that may address tongue-related airway obstruction.No office rate
41530Tongue base reduction, radiofrequency, one or more areasTongue-base volume reduction is a distinct approach for selected tongue-base obstruction.$800.42–$1,273.62
41599Unlisted oral surgery, tongue or floor of mouthUse the unlisted tongue or floor-of-mouth procedure code when no specific code describes the operation.No office rate

41510 billing questions

When should 41510 be chosen over tongue suspension?

Use 41510 when the surgeon fixes the tongue to the lip. Tongue suspension is a different operation, even when both procedures address airway obstruction.

Does 41510 include postoperative care?

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

Can modifier 50 be reported?

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

When is an assistant at surgery payable?

Only when the record documents the medical necessity of the assistant.

How is 41510 paid when another procedure is performed in the same session?

The highest-valued procedure is paid in full; other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.

What documentation supports reporting 41510?

The operative report should show that the tongue was secured to the lip and describe the clinical indication, such as glossoptosis contributing to airway obstruction.

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 41510PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 4,933 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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