Billing code 15275: Skin substituteMedicare rate & RVUs
Reports skin substitute application to wounds on the face, scalp, hands, feet, genitalia, or other specified sites within the smaller-area tier.
Medicare pays $160.32 for 15275 nationally in the office and $84.17 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $143.80–$205.40.
Medicare rate · 15275
Skin substitute
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
- Work RVUs
- 1.78
- Total RVUs
- 4.80
- Global days
- 000
National rate · 2026
$160.32
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for 15275 → · 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 15275 covers
This code covers applying a skin substitute graft to wounds on the face, scalp, eyelids, mouth, neck, ears, orbits, genitalia, hands, or feet. Dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and wound care clinicians may use it for wounds such as chronic ulcers or defects after trauma or excision. The code represents the application service, not the skin substitute product itself.
Select this base code when the combined wound surface area at the specified sites is up to 100 square centimeters and the initial area is 25 square centimeters or less. For a larger qualifying area, use the applicable higher-area code; document wound locations, measurements, total area, and the material applied. The 0-day global includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service, and 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 15275 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
$143.80 to $205.40
109 of 109 payment localities
15275 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.
$143.80
$193.17
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 | $193.17 | 1 |
| AL | $145.65 | 1 |
| AR | $143.80 | 1 |
| AZ | $156.44 | 1 |
| CA | $167.28–$205.40 | 29 |
| CO | $165.60 | 1 |
| CT | $170.17 | 1 |
| DC | $181.06 | 1 |
| DE | $158.82 | 1 |
| FL | $159.54–$174.40 | 3 |
| GA | $151.43–$163.35 | 2 |
| GU | $170.42 | 1 |
| HI | $170.42 | 1 |
| IA | $148.29 | 1 |
| ID | $149.27 | 1 |
| IL | $155.89–$169.86 | 4 |
| IN | $150.01 | 1 |
| KS | $147.97 | 1 |
| KY | $149.30 | 1 |
| LA | $149.21–$155.68 | 2 |
| MA | $164.91–$180.30 | 2 |
| MD | $161.50–$181.06 | 3 |
| ME | $150.26–$157.01 | 2 |
| MI | $152.99–$161.61 | 2 |
| MN | $158.35 | 1 |
| MO | $147.15–$155.82 | 3 |
| MS | $145.49 | 1 |
| MT | $160.31 | 1 |
| NC | $151.60 | 1 |
| ND | $156.36 | 1 |
| NE | $148.92 | 1 |
| NH | $163.35 | 1 |
| NJ | $172.02–$179.59 | 2 |
| NM | $153.85 | 1 |
| NV | $159.30 | 1 |
| NY | $153.63–$187.66 | 5 |
| OH | $152.18 | 1 |
| OK | $148.76 | 1 |
| OR | $157.96–$170.02 | 2 |
| PA | $152.23–$166.55 | 2 |
| PR | $161.26 | 1 |
| RI | $163.84 | 1 |
| SC | $152.16 | 1 |
| SD | $155.89 | 1 |
| TN | $148.66 | 1 |
| TX | $151.37–$165.14 | 8 |
| UT | $153.99 | 1 |
| VA | $156.76–$181.06 | 2 |
| VI | $161.26 | 1 |
| VT | $156.08 | 1 |
| WA | $164.49–$183.46 | 2 |
| WI | $151.75 | 1 |
| WV | $150.86 | 1 |
| WY | $158.59 | 1 |
How the 15275 rate is calculated
Each of 15275’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 · 15275
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 1.78Practice expense 2.82Malpractice 0.20
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 15275
The CMS indicators that decide how 15275 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 15275
Skin substitute
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| 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. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
15275 without 51 · national office
$160.32
Skin substitute
15275-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$80.16
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%).
15275 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
15275 vs 15276 vs 15277 vs 15271 vs 15240: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 15276Skin substitute graft
- 15276 is an add-on for additional wound area in the 15275 size tier; it is not the initial application code.
- 15277Skin substitute graft
- 15277 applies to the same anatomic sites when total wound area is at least 100 square centimeters; 15275 is for the smaller-area tier.
- 15271Skin substitute graft
- 15271 covers skin substitute application to trunk, arm, or leg wounds. Use 15275 for the specified face, scalp, hand, foot, genital, and related sites.
- 15240Skin graft
- 15240 reports a full-thickness skin graft to specified sites, rather than application of a skin substitute graft.
15275 billing questions
When should 15275 be selected instead of 15277?
Use 15275 for the initial area when total wound surface area at the specified sites is up to 100 square centimeters. When the total reaches 100 square centimeters or more, use 15277 for the initial area.
How is additional wound area reported with 15275?
Code 15276 reports each additional 25 square centimeters or part thereof when the total wound area is in the 15275 size tier. For the higher-area tier, 15277 and 15278 provide the initial and additional-area reporting.
Does 15275 include the skin substitute product?
15275 reports the application service, not the product itself. The product may have separate HCPCS coding.
Can modifier 50 be used when wounds are on both hands or feet?
No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code; report the applicable service based on the qualifying sites and wound area.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be reported for 15275?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
What documentation supports reporting 15275?
Document the specific wound sites, measured wound areas and their total, and the skin substitute application performed. These details support selection of the correct area tier and any additional-area code.
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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