FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

Billing code 15840: Facial reanimationMedicare rate & RVUs

A surgeon uses a fascial graft to provide support in facial paralysis, commonly as part of reconstructive surgery to improve facial symmetry or movement.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities338 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $886.46 for 15840 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 15840

Facial reanimation

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
14.62
Total RVUs
26.54
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$886.46

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 15840 → · 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
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 15840 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 15840 covers

This operation uses fascia, often harvested from the patient, to support facial tissues affected by paralysis. Plastic surgeons and otolaryngologists may perform it as part of facial reanimation, including reconstruction intended to improve resting symmetry or help restore movement. The service is typically performed in an operating room; it is distinct from eyelid procedures that address inability to close the eye.

Report 15840 when the documented graft material and procedure are fascial, rather than a muscle graft or a microsurgical nerve graft. The operative report should identify the facial paralysis indication, the graft work, and any graft harvest. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the following 90 days. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code; 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 15840 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

15840 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$813.26
Alaska*Unavailable$1,117.53
ArizonaUnavailable$865.55
ArkansasUnavailable$804.24
AtlantaUnavailable$908.32
AustinUnavailable$897.49
BakersfieldUnavailable$897.03
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$935.77
BeaumontUnavailable$852.07
BrazoriaUnavailable$870.79

15840 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

Explore a state

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
15840 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 15840 rate is calculated

Each of 15840’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 · 15840

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 14.62Practice expense 9.65Malpractice 2.27

26.5400 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$886.46

All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 15840

15840 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 15840

Facial reanimation

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)1Not paid (statutory restriction).
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.10/0.71/0.19Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 15840

Facial reanimation

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.

  • 24 Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79 Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58 Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78 Unplanned 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

15840 without 51 · national facility

$886.46

Facial reanimation

15840-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$443.23

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

15840 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

15840 vs 15841 vs 15842 vs 67912: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 15840
    Facial reanimation · 14.62 wRVU
    —
  • 15841
    Facial reanimation · 25.34 wRVU
    —
  • 15842
    Nerve graft · 39.98 wRVU
    —
  • 67912
    Eyelid weight · 6.2 wRVU
    $894.48

How to choose

15841Facial reanimation
Use 15841 when the graft is muscle. Code 15840 is for a fascial graft.
15842Nerve graft
Use 15842 for a microsurgical nerve graft in facial paralysis; 15840 describes fascial graft work.
67912Eyelid weight
67912 addresses correction of lagophthalmos with an implant. It treats eyelid closure, not facial support with a fascial graft.

Codes related to 15840

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

Codes related to 15840
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
15841Facial reanimationFacial paralysis graft using muscle rather than fascia.No office rate
15842Nerve graftFacial paralysis graft using a microsurgical nerve technique.No office rate
Often billed with
67912Eyelid weightMay address paralytic eyelid closure separately during facial reanimation.$789.74–$1,200.50

15840 billing questions

How do I choose between 15840, 15841, and 15842?

Choose 15840 for a fascial graft, 15841 for a muscle graft, and 15842 for a microsurgical nerve graft used for facial paralysis. The operative report should support the graft type and procedure.

Does 15840 include harvesting the fascia?

The service includes obtaining the fascia used for the graft. Do not report a separate graft-harvest service for that work.

Should modifier 50 be used for grafts on both sides?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code, so modifier 50 should not be used.

What postoperative care is included?

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

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for 15840. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

How does the multiple-procedure reduction affect 15840?

For multiple procedures in the same session, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and applies the standard 50% reduction to the others.

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 15840PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 1,579 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 15840 pays?

Tell us what you were actually trying to work out. We’ll answer you directly, or build the page that does.

Fee sheets

Put 15840 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.

Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →