Use 12016 when simple repairs in this anatomical group total 12.6–20.0 cm; 12017 covers 20.1–30.0 cm.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
12017 Wound repair Medicare reimbursement rates in Colorado
Reports simple closure of superficial wounds totaling 20.1–30.0 cm on the face, ears, eyelids, nose, lips, or mucous membranes. Compare 12017 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Colorado.
Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.
What does Medicare pay for 12017 in Colorado?
Colorado has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$151.43
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Colorado
One mapped payment locality.
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Simple wound repair
About 12017: Simple facial wound repair, 20.1–30 cm
Reports simple closure of superficial wounds totaling 20.1–30.0 cm on the face, ears, eyelids, nose, lips, or mucous membranes.
This code covers simple, usually one-layer closure of superficial wounds on the face, ears, eyelids, nose, lips, or mucous membranes when the total repaired length is 20.1–30.0 cm. It is used for repairs such as facial or lip lacerations that do not require the more involved closure represented by an intermediate or complex repair. Physicians in emergency departments, hospital facilities, urgent care, and surgical or outpatient settings may perform the service.
Select the code by repair type, anatomical group, and total length of wounds repaired in that group. Document each wound’s location and length, the closure method, and why the repair is simple. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. 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. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 12017
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included.
- Multiple procedures
- Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery is paid only with documentation of medical necessity.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU3.10 · 67%
- Practice expense (office) RVU0.74 · 16%
- Malpractice RVU0.78 · 17%
53
Medicare services in 2024 · #5315 by national volume
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.
12017 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Colorado, from the same CMS release.
Use 12018 when the simple repairs in this anatomical group total more than 30.0 cm.
The length range is the same, but 12006 is for simple repairs in a different anatomical group: scalp, axillae, trunk, or extremities.
Both codes cover a 20.1–30.0 cm repair in the face-related anatomical group; 12056 is for intermediate rather than simple repair.
Compare 12017 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
1 of 1 payment localities
Colorado →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$151.43
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How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 12017 in Colorado.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
1,408
- Code
- 12017
- Physician work
- 3.10
- Practice expense
- 0.74
- Malpractice
- 0.78
GPCI2026.csv
37
- Locality
- Colorado
- Physician work
- 1.012
- Practice expense
- 1.064
- Malpractice
- 0.781
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 3.10 | × 1.012 | 3.1372 |
| Practice expense | 0.74 | × 1.064 | 0.7874 |
| Malpractice | 0.78 | × 0.781 | 0.6092 |
| Total RVUs | 4.5337 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Colorado$151.43
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 3.1 | 1.012 |
| Practice expense | 0.74 | 1.064 |
| Malpractice | 0.78 | 0.781 |
(3.1 × 1.012 + 0.74 × 1.064 + 0.78 × 0.781) × $33.4009 = $151.43
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
12017 billing questions
How is the 20.1–30.0 cm length determined when there are several wounds?
Add the lengths of the simple repairs in this anatomical group. Keep documentation of each wound’s site and measured length to support the total.
When should a more involved repair code be considered instead?
Choose the repair code that matches the documented closure complexity. This code is for simple superficial closure, not a repair requiring intermediate or complex techniques.
Can modifier 50 be reported for wounds on both sides of the face?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; modifier 50 should not be used.
How are other procedures performed in the same session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.
What must be documented for an assistant at surgery?
Document the medical necessity for the assistant. CMS payment for an assistant at surgery is conditional on that documentation.
Does the global period include same-day follow-up care?
Yes. This minor procedure has a 0-day global period, which includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense, and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.
Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.
