Billing code 15574: Pedicle flapMedicare rate & RVUs in Florida
Reports formation of a direct or tubed pedicle flap for reconstruction involving specified facial, neck, axillary, genital, hand, or foot sites.
Medicare pays $880.20–$973.09 for 15574 in the office in Florida, from Rest Of Florida to Miami. 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 15574 covers
A surgeon forms a skin flap that stays attached to its blood supply while it is brought toward a defect, either directly or as a tubed pedicle. This reconstruction may follow trauma, burn injury, or tissue removal, and is used for defects involving the forehead, cheeks, chin, mouth, neck, axillae, genitalia, hands, or feet. Plastic and reconstructive surgeons typically perform the procedure in an operating room.
Select this code when the documented flap and operative site fit the listed anatomic group; nearby flap codes divide other body regions into separate groups. The operative report should describe the flap design, the relevant anatomy, and the formation or transfer performed. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment is statutorily restricted, 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.
Where 15574 pays more and less in Florida
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
3 payment localities
$880.20 to $973.09
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale | $922.92 | $684.04 |
| Miami | $973.09 | $727.61 |
| Rest Of Florida | $880.20 | $654.77 |
How the 15574 rate is calculated
Each of 15574’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 · 15574
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work10.43
10.43 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense14.25
14.25 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.53
1.53 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
26.2100
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$875.44
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 15574
15574 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 15574
Pedicle 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 · 15574
Pedicle 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
15574 without 51 · national office
$875.44
Pedicle flap
15574-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$437.72
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%).
15574 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 15572Skin flap
- Choose 15572 when the flap involves the arms or legs; 15574 covers its specified facial, neck, axillary, genital, hand, and foot sites.
- 15576Pedicle flap
- 15576 is for eyelids, nose, ears, or lips. Use 15574 for the other listed sites, such as the forehead, cheeks, chin, mouth, or neck.
- 14040Tissue rearrangement
- 14040 describes adjacent tissue transfer or rearrangement for specified sites by area. 15574 describes formation of a direct or tubed pedicle flap for its listed sites.
15574 billing questions
How is 15574 distinguished from 15572?
15574 covers the specified face, neck, axilla, genital, hand, and foot sites. 15572 is the sibling code for pedicle flap formation involving the arms or legs.
When is 15576 used instead?
Use 15576 for the eyelids, nose, ears, or lips. Those sites are assigned to a separate anatomic group from the sites covered by 15574.
Can modifier 50 be appended for a flap involving paired sites?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code because of its descriptor or anatomy.
What postoperative care is included in the global period?
The 90-day global includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant, co-surgeon, or surgical team be paid for this procedure?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is statutorily restricted. CMS does not permit co-surgeons or team surgery for this code.
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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