Billing code 15570: Skin flapMedicare rate & RVUs in Alaska
Reports creation of a direct or tubed skin pedicle flap on the trunk, with or without transfer, for reconstructive coverage of a defect.
Medicare pays $1,155.51 for 15570 in the office in Alaska (Alaska*). Which amount applies depends on the service address.
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 9 sections
What 15570 covers
This service covers creating a skin flap that remains attached to its blood supply through a pedicle, with or without moving it to the recipient site. It is used for trunk reconstruction, such as coverage of a defect on the chest, back, or abdomen. Plastic and reconstructive surgeons commonly perform the procedure in a hospital or outpatient surgical setting when local tissue can be used to cover the defect while maintaining vascular attachment.
Select the code by the flap method and the trunk location, rather than by defect size alone; document the donor and recipient sites and how the flap is formed and transferred. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. 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% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery, 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.
15570 in Alaska*
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska* | $1,155.51 | $826.82 |
How the 15570 rate is calculated
Each of 15570’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 · 15570
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 9.95Practice expense 17.44Malpractice 1.99
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 15570
15570 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 15570
Skin flap
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are 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. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.71/0.19 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 15570
Skin flap
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.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
15570 without 51 · national office
$981.32
Skin flap
15570-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$490.66
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%).
15570 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
15570 vs 15572 vs 14000 vs 15734 vs 15600: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 15572Skin flap
- Use 15570 for a trunk recipient site; 15572 is for an arm or leg.
- 14000Tissue transfer
- Use 15570 for formation of a direct or tubed skin pedicle flap. Code 14000 describes adjacent tissue transfer on the trunk.
- 15734Trunk flap
- Code 15570 describes a skin pedicle flap; 15734 describes a trunk flap using muscle or myocutaneous tissue.
- 15600Flap delay
- Code 15570 describes forming the trunk pedicle flap. Code 15600 describes a trunk flap delay or later pedicle division and inset.
15570 billing questions
When should I report 15570 rather than an adjacent tissue transfer code?
Report 15570 when the surgeon forms a direct or tubed skin pedicle flap for a trunk defect. Adjacent tissue transfer codes describe local tissue rearrangement rather than this pedicle-flap method.
How is 15570 different from 15572?
The recipient area determines the site-specific code: 15570 is for the trunk, while 15572 is for an arm or leg.
Can I report modifier 50 for a flap on each side of the trunk?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; modifier 50 should not be used.
Does the 90-day global period include related postoperative care?
Yes. The global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid for this procedure?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
How does Medicare handle other procedures performed in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.
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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