Billing code 15841: Facial reanimationMedicare rate & RVUs in Alaska
Reports muscle grafting or transfer to address facial nerve palsy, restoring facial movement or improving symmetry through reconstructive surgery.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 15841 in Alaska.
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 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.
15841 in Alaska*
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska* | Unavailable | $1,970.93 |
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
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
| 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) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| 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 · 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.
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%).
15841 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
15841 vs 15840 vs 15842 vs 67912: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
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.
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
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