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Billing code 15950: Pressure ulcer excisionMedicare rate & RVUs

Excision of a pressure ulcer over the trochanter with direct suture closure, reported when the surgeon closes the excision site without a flap.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities39 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $588.52 for 15950 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 15950

Pressure ulcer excision

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
7.83
Total RVUs
17.62
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$588.52

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 15950 → · 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 15950 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 15950 covers

The surgeon removes a pressure ulcer over the trochanter, the bony prominence at the upper thigh, and closes the resulting wound by bringing the edges together with sutures. This approach is used when the site can be closed directly; it is distinct from closure using a skin or muscle flap. Surgeons performing this work may include plastic, reconstructive, or general surgeons, typically in an operating-room setting for a patient with a longstanding pressure wound.

Report 15950 when the operative documentation supports trochanteric location, ulcer excision, and direct suture closure. The code has 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 procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery; 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 15950 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

15950 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$532.68
Alaska*Unavailable$715.65
ArizonaUnavailable$572.91
ArkansasUnavailable$525.76
AtlantaUnavailable$603.50
AustinUnavailable$599.68
BakersfieldUnavailable$601.30
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$624.52
BeaumontUnavailable$560.01
BrazoriaUnavailable$577.45

15950 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
15950 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 15950 rate is calculated

Each of 15950’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 · 15950

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 7.83Practice expense 8.34Malpractice 1.45

17.6200 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$588.52

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 15950

15950 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 15950

Pressure ulcer excision

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 · 15950

Pressure ulcer excision

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

15950 without 51 · national facility

$588.52

Pressure ulcer excision

15950-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$294.26

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

15950 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

15950 vs 15951 vs 15952 vs 15920: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 15950
    Pressure ulcer excision · 7.83 wRVU
    —
  • 15951
    Pressure ulcer excision · 11.29 wRVU
    —
  • 15952
    Pressure ulcer excision · 12 wRVU
    —
  • 15920
    Pressure ulcer excision · 8.08 wRVU
    —

How to choose

15951Pressure ulcer excision
Both concern a trochanteric pressure ulcer, but 15951 is the ostectomy variant. Use 15950 when the documented service is excision with direct suture closure without that bony work.
15952Pressure ulcer excision
15952 applies when closure uses a flap. 15950 describes direct approximation and suture closure of the excision site.
15920Pressure ulcer excision
The closure method is similar, but 15920 is for a coccygeal pressure ulcer; 15950 is for a trochanteric ulcer.

Codes related to 15950

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

Codes related to 15950
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
15951Pressure ulcer excisionTrochanteric ulcer excision variant involving ostectomy.No office rate
15952Pressure ulcer excisionTrochanteric ulcer excision with flap closure rather than direct suture closure.No office rate
15956Pressure ulcer excisionTrochanteric ulcer excision involving preparation of a muscle or myocutaneous flap.No office rate
15958Pressure ulcer surgeryTrochanteric ulcer excision variant involving ostectomy and flap preparation.No office rate
Used instead
15920Pressure ulcer excisionPressure-ulcer excision with primary suture closure at the coccygeal site.No office rate
15940Pressure ulcer surgeryPressure-ulcer excision with primary suture closure at the ischial site.No office rate

15950 billing questions

When is 15950 appropriate instead of a trochanteric flap code?

Use 15950 when the surgeon excises the trochanteric pressure ulcer and closes the site directly with sutures. A flap-closure code is used when the operative report documents flap reconstruction.

Can the primary suture closure be billed separately?

The direct closure is part of the service represented by 15950. The code describes ulcer excision with primary suture closure, rather than excision alone.

What documentation supports 15950?

The operative report should identify the ulcer as trochanteric, document its excision, and describe direct closure with sutures. It should distinguish direct closure from flap reconstruction.

Should modifier 50 be reported for ulcers on both sides?

No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply to 15950, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code.

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

The global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. Related routine postoperative care during that period is included in the surgical package.

Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be paid for 15950?

Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code. Co-surgeons and team surgery are 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 15950PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 1,606 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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