Billing code 15101: Skin graftMedicare rate & RVUs
Report 15101 for each additional grafted area after the initial split-thickness skin graft on the trunk, arms, or legs.
Medicare pays $201.41 for 15101 nationally in the office and $100.54 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $176.55–$260.30.
Medicare rate · 15101
Skin graft
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
- Work RVUs
- 1.68
- Total RVUs
- 6.03
- Global days
- ZZZ
National rate · 2026
$201.41
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for 15101 → · 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.
On this page 10 sections
What 15101 covers
Code 15101 represents additional area covered with an autologous split-thickness skin graft on the trunk, arms, or legs. In this procedure, the surgeon takes a thin layer of the patient’s skin from a donor site and transfers it to a wound, such as a burn or a defect left after tissue removal. Plastic, burn, and other surgeons may perform the graft in an operating room or another surgical setting.
Report 15101 only with the initial-area code 15100. It represents each additional 100 square centimeters, or each additional 1% of body surface area for infants and children. The operative report should identify the recipient site, graft type, and total area treated so the base and additional increments can be supported. CMS classifies 15101 as an add-on code: it is billed with the primary procedure and paid within that procedure’s global period.
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 15101 pays more and less
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
109 payment localities
$176.55 to $260.30
109 of 109 payment localities
15101 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.
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$176.55
$234.75
Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.
View every state and territory as a table
| State / territory | Office rate range | Localities |
|---|---|---|
| AK | $232.38 | 1 |
| AL | $179.32 | 1 |
| AR | $176.55 | 1 |
| AZ | $195.47 | 1 |
| CA | $209.20–$260.30 | 29 |
| CO | $207.79 | 1 |
| CT | $215.41 | 1 |
| DC | $229.47 | 1 |
| DE | $198.81 | 1 |
| FL | $201.96–$226.25 | 3 |
| GA | $189.52–$206.25 | 2 |
| GU | $214.23 | 1 |
| HI | $214.23 | 1 |
| IA | $182.48 | 1 |
| ID | $184.11 | 1 |
| IL | $197.02–$218.90 | 4 |
| IN | $185.20 | 1 |
| KS | $182.38 | 1 |
| KY | $185.61 | 1 |
| LA | $185.63–$195.31 | 2 |
| MA | $206.76–$228.04 | 2 |
| MD | $202.52–$229.47 | 3 |
| ME | $186.00–$195.53 | 2 |
| MI | $191.51–$205.47 | 2 |
| MN | $196.32 | 1 |
| MO | $182.78–$195.07 | 3 |
| MS | $179.66 | 1 |
| MT | $201.38 | 1 |
| NC | $187.94 | 1 |
| ND | $193.87 | 1 |
| NE | $183.30 | 1 |
| NH | $205.26 | 1 |
| NJ | $217.08–$227.02 | 2 |
| NM | $192.95 | 1 |
| NV | $199.42 | 1 |
| NY | $191.01–$240.94 | 5 |
| OH | $189.97 | 1 |
| OK | $184.39 | 1 |
| OR | $197.11–$213.77 | 2 |
| PA | $189.84–$210.30 | 2 |
| PR | $202.68 | 1 |
| RI | $205.48 | 1 |
| SC | $189.43 | 1 |
| SD | $192.98 | 1 |
| TN | $183.46 | 1 |
| TX | $188.57–$207.76 | 8 |
| UT | $192.16 | 1 |
| VA | $195.42–$229.47 | 2 |
| VI | $202.68 | 1 |
| VT | $193.81 | 1 |
| WA | $206.13–$231.99 | 2 |
| WI | $187.06 | 1 |
| WV | $189.51 | 1 |
| WY | $198.11 | 1 |
How the 15101 rate is calculated
Each of 15101’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 · 15101
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 1.68Practice expense 3.97Malpractice 0.38
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 15101
The CMS indicators that decide how 15101 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 15101
Skin graft
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | ZZZ | Add-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
15101 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
15101 vs 15100 vs 15121 vs 15111: national Medicare rates
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How to choose
- 15100Skin graft
- 15100 reports the initial split-thickness graft area on the trunk, arms, or legs; 15101 reports each additional area increment and cannot stand alone.
- 15121Skin graft
- 15121 reports additional split-thickness graft area at designated sites such as the face, scalp, neck, hands, or feet. Use 15101 for additional area on the trunk, arms, or legs.
- 15111Epidermal graft
- 15111 is for additional epidermal graft area on the trunk, arms, or legs. Code 15101 is for a split-thickness graft at those sites.
15101 billing questions
Can 15101 be reported by itself?
No. It is an add-on code and must be reported with the primary code 15100 for the initial grafted area.
How is the number of units determined?
Report a unit for each additional 100 square centimeters, or each additional 1% of body surface area for infants and children. Document the total recipient area and how it supports the reported increments.
When should 15121 be used instead?
Use the 15120/15121 code family for split-thickness grafting of designated sites such as the face, scalp, neck, hands, or feet. Code 15101 is for additional grafted area on the trunk, arms, or legs.
Does 15101 describe an epidermal graft?
No. It is for additional area treated with a split-thickness graft. The 15110/15111 family describes epidermal grafting on the trunk, arms, or legs.
What should the operative report support?
Document the split-thickness graft, recipient body site, total grafted area, and the initial and additional area increments. The primary graft procedure must also be reported.
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
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