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CPT code 65782: Ocular reconstruction, autologous limbal stem cell graft2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports ocular surface reconstruction using the patient's own limbal stem cells, typically for severe limbal stem cell deficiency after ocular surface injury.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities385 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $973.64 for 65782 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 65782

Ocular reconstruction, autologous limbal stem cell graft

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
15.04
Total RVUs
29.15
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$973.64

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 65782 →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 65782 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 65782 covers

An ophthalmic surgeon transplants limbal stem cells taken from the patient to rebuild a damaged ocular surface. This is used for limbal stem cell deficiency, often after a chemical or thermal injury, when the patient’s own viable limbal tissue can serve as the graft source. The operation is typically performed in a surgical facility by a cornea or ocular-surface specialist.

Report 65782 when the reconstruction uses the patient’s own limbal tissue; an allograft from a donor is a different code in this family. The operative record should identify the recipient eye, the autologous tissue source, and the transplant performed. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 identifies bilateral surgery, paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted; 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 65782 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

65782 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$902.24
AlaskaUnavailable$1,234.67
ArizonaUnavailable$954.46
ArkansasUnavailable$893.28
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$990.16
Austin, TXUnavailable$995.02
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$1,008.74
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$1,022.71
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$931.99
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$964.89

65782 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
65782 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 65782 rate is calculated

Each of 65782’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 · 65782

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work15.04

15.04 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense12.90

12.90 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice1.21

1.21 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

29.1500

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$973.64

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 65782

65782 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 65782

Ocular reconstruction, autologous limbal stem cell 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)1Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)1Not paid (statutory restriction).
Co-surgeons (62)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.10/0.70/0.20Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 65782

Ocular reconstruction, autologous limbal stem cell 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 50 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

65782 without 50 · national facility

$973.64

Ocular reconstruction, autologous limbal stem cell graft

65782-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$1,460.46

Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).

When to use modifier 50

65782 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 65782

    Ocular reconstruction, autologous limbal stem cell graft15.04 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 65781

    Ocular reconstruction, limbal stem cell allograft17.69 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 65780

    Amniotic membrane graft, multiple layers6.85 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 65778

    Amniotic membrane, without sutures0.82 wRVU

    $1,274.24

  • 65779

    Amniotic membrane, single layer, sutured1.71 wRVU

    $1,139.97

How to choose

65781Ocular reconstructionLimbal stem cell allograft
Choose 65782 for an autologous graft taken from the patient. Use 65781 when the limbal stem cell graft comes from a donor.
65780Amniotic membrane graftMultiple layers
65780 describes ocular surface reconstruction using amniotic membrane transplantation. 65782 is distinguished by transplantation of the patient's own limbal stem cells.
65778Amniotic membraneWithout sutures
65778 is amniotic membrane placement without sutures, not autologous limbal stem cell transplantation.
65779Amniotic membraneSingle layer, sutured
65779 is amniotic membrane placement with sutures. It does not represent reconstruction using the patient's own limbal stem cells.

Codes related to 65782

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

Codes related to 65782
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
65780Amniotic membrane graft, multiple layersOcular surface reconstruction using amniotic membrane transplantation rather than an autologous limbal graft.No office rate
65781Ocular reconstruction, limbal stem cell allograftThe limbal stem cell allograft counterpart, using donor rather than patient tissue.No office rate
Used instead
65778Amniotic membrane, without suturesAmniotic membrane placement without sutures may be selected when limbal-cell transplantation is not performed.$1,097.98–$1,827.16

65782 billing questions

How does 65782 differ from 65781?

65782 is for limbal stem cells taken from the patient; 65781 is for an allograft from a donor. Document the graft source.

Does 65782 include harvesting the patient's tissue?

The autograft procedure involves obtaining the patient's own limbal tissue and transplanting it to reconstruct the ocular surface. Document the source and transplant.

When would 65778 or 65779 be considered instead?

Those codes describe amniotic membrane placement on the ocular surface, without or with sutures, rather than reconstruction using an autologous limbal stem cell graft.

What is included in the 90-day global period?

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

How is bilateral 65782 reported?

Use modifier 50 for bilateral surgery; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

CMS restricts assistant-at-surgery payment for this code. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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 65782PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 7,344 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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