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Billing code 15841: Facial reanimationMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports muscle grafting or transfer to address facial nerve palsy, restoring facial movement or improving symmetry through reconstructive surgery.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities21 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,580.86 for 15841 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 15841

Facial reanimation

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
25.34
Total RVUs
47.33
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,580.86

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 15841 → · 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 15841 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 15841 covers

This operation uses muscle tissue to improve facial movement or symmetry affected by facial nerve palsy. A reconstructive or plastic surgeon typically performs the procedure in an operating room, transferring or grafting muscle as part of facial reanimation. The operative approach and donor muscle depend on the patient’s paralysis and the reconstruction planned; the service is distinct from a fascia graft or a microsurgical muscle graft.

Report 15841 when the documented procedure is the muscle-graft approach for nerve palsy. The operative report should identify the palsy, the muscle tissue used, the recipient area, and the reconstructive work performed. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued is paid in full and others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; 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 15841 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

15841 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,440.44
Alaska*Unavailable$1,970.93
ArizonaUnavailable$1,540.32
ArkansasUnavailable$1,423.18
AtlantaUnavailable$1,624.26
AustinUnavailable$1,598.10
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,590.84
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,673.82
BeaumontUnavailable$1,517.75
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,547.83

15841 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
15841 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 15841 rate is calculated

Each of 15841’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 · 15841

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 25.34Practice expense 17.28Malpractice 4.71

47.3300 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$1,580.86

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 15841

15841 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 15841

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)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.10/0.71/0.19Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 15841

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

15841 without 51 · national facility

$1,580.86

Facial reanimation

15841-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$790.43

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

15841 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

15841 vs 15840 vs 15842 vs 67912: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

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

How to choose

15840Facial reanimation
Choose 15840 for a fascia-graft procedure for nerve palsy; 15841 is the muscle-graft approach.
15842Nerve graft
Choose 15842 when the nerve-palsy graft uses a microsurgical approach; 15841 describes the muscle-graft approach.
67912Eyelid weight
67912 treats lagophthalmos with an eyelid procedure. It is not the muscle-graft facial reanimation service reported with 15841.

Codes related to 15841

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

Codes related to 15841
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
15840Facial reanimationFacial nerve palsy reconstruction using a fascia-graft approach.No office rate
15842Nerve graftFacial nerve palsy reconstruction using a microsurgical graft approach.No office rate
Used instead
67912Eyelid weightAddresses eyelid closure in facial palsy rather than muscle-based facial reanimation.$789.74–$1,200.50

15841 billing questions

How is 15841 distinguished from 15840?

15841 is the muscle-graft approach for nerve palsy. Code 15840 describes the fascia-graft approach; select based on the tissue and procedure documented.

When is 15842 more appropriate?

Use 15842 for the microsurgical graft approach for nerve palsy. The operative report should support that technique rather than a non-microsurgical muscle graft.

Can modifier 50 be reported?

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

How does the 90-day global period affect follow-up billing?

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

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; 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 15841PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 1,580 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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