Billing code 15860: Flap perfusion testMedicare rate & RVUs in Florida
Reports an intravenous dye test used during flap or graft surgery to assess blood flow and help evaluate tissue perfusion.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 15860 in Florida.
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 15860 covers
During reconstructive surgery, the surgeon injects an intravenous agent, such as fluorescein or indocyanine green, to assess blood flow through a flap or graft. The test may help evaluate tissue perfusion during procedures involving transferred tissue, including breast reconstruction or flap repair of the head, trunk, or extremity. Plastic and reconstructive surgeons most often perform it in an operating room.
Report 15860 when the agent injection and vascular-flow assessment are performed, with documentation identifying the flap or graft and the test performed. The code has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When other procedures are performed in the same session, Medicare’s standard multiple-procedure reduction applies: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; 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 15860 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.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale | Unavailable | $103.40 |
| Miami | Unavailable | $112.80 |
| Rest Of Florida | Unavailable | $98.64 |
How the 15860 rate is calculated
Each of 15860’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 · 15860
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 1.90Practice expense 0.52Malpractice 0.37
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 15860
The CMS indicators that decide how 15860 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 15860
Flap perfusion test
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is 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) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
15860 without 51 · national facility
$93.19
Flap perfusion test
15860-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$46.60
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%).
15860 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
15860 vs 15734 vs 15738 vs 19364: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 15734Trunk flap
- 15734 reports a trunk flap procedure; 15860 reports the intravenous agent injection and blood-flow test performed on a flap or graft.
- 15738Lower-extremity flap
- 15738 reports a lower-extremity flap procedure. Use 15860 for the separate perfusion test, not for creating or transferring the flap.
- 19364Free-flap reconstruction
- 19364 reports breast reconstruction with a free flap. 15860 describes the intravenous vascular-flow test that may be performed during that reconstruction.
15860 billing questions
Is 15860 the flap reconstruction itself?
No. It reports the intravenous agent injection and blood-flow test; the flap or graft reconstruction is reported with its own procedure code.
What should the operative note document?
Identify the flap or graft and describe the intravenous agent injection and vascular-flow assessment performed.
Can 15860 be reported with the flap procedure?
It may be reported with a flap procedure when the injection and test are performed. The same-session multiple-procedure reduction may affect payment.
Should modifier 50 be used for testing both sides?
No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply to 15860, and modifier 50 is inappropriate.
Does 15860 have a postoperative global period?
It has a 0-day global period. Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included.
When is assistant-at-surgery payment allowed?
Only when medical necessity for the assistant is documented. 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
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