15830
No office rateExc excessive skin abdomen
Use 15830 for excision of excessive skin and subcutaneous tissue from the abdomen. Use 15839 for an area without its own site-specific code.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
15839 Excess skin excision Medicare reimbursement rates in Massachusetts
Reports surgical removal of redundant skin and underlying tissue, including lipectomy, from an anatomical area without a dedicated site-specific code. Compare 15839 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Massachusetts.
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 15839 in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$980.61–$1073.05
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
Facility setting
$689.04–$742.44
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
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.
Plastic surgery
About 15839: Excision of excessive skin, other area
Reports surgical removal of redundant skin and underlying tissue, including lipectomy, from an anatomical area without a dedicated site-specific code.
A plastic or reconstructive surgeon removes excess skin and underlying subcutaneous tissue from an area not identified by a dedicated site-specific excision code. The operation may include removal of some underlying fat as part of contouring the treated area. The operative report should identify the actual anatomical site and describe the tissue removed; “other area” is not a substitute for a code that specifically names the treated site.
Report this code when the documented site fits the other-area category rather than a site-specific code such as the abdomen, thigh, or arm codes. Documentation should describe the excess tissue, the site and extent of excision, and the clinical indication. Medicare 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 procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 15839
- Global period
- Major surgery with a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are 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 RVU10.24 · 36%
- Practice expense (office) RVU16.54 · 58%
- Malpractice RVU1.93 · 7%
524
Medicare services in 2024 · #3514 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.
15839 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Massachusetts, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Use 15832 when the treated site is the thigh; 15839 identifies an other-area excision.
No office rate
Use 15836 for excess skin excision of the arm. The other-area code is for a site not represented by a dedicated code.
No office rate
Code 15838 addresses excision of the submental fat pad. Code 15839 is for excessive skin and subcutaneous tissue in another area.
Compare 15839 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Metropolitan Boston →
Office / nonfacility
$1073.05
Facility
$742.44
Rest Of Massachusetts →
Office / nonfacility
$980.61
Facility
$689.04
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15839 billing questions
When should this code be chosen instead of a site-specific excess-skin code?
Use it when the excised skin and subcutaneous tissue are from an area without its own site-specific code. If the treated site is the abdomen, thigh, or arm, consider the corresponding dedicated code instead.
Does the service include removal of underlying fat?
The service includes removal of subcutaneous tissue, including lipectomy, as part of the excess-tissue excision. Document the tissue and anatomical site treated.
Can modifier 50 be reported for treatment on both sides?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; modifier 50 should not be used.
How does the multiple-procedure reduction affect payment?
For procedures performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or another surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity. 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 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.
1,57515836,,Exc excessive skin arm,A,,10.34,9.56,NA,9.56,,1.92,21.82,21.82,0,090,0.10,0.71,0.19,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,57615837,,Exc excsv skin forearm/hand,A,,9.31,17.02,,8.67,,1.73,28.06,19.71,0,090,0.10,0.71,0.19,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,57715838,,Exc excsv submental fat pad,A,,8.04,8.44,NA,8.44,,1.48,17.96,17.96,0,090,0.10,0.71,0.19,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,57815839,,Exc excessive skn other area,A,,10.24,16.54,,8.25,,1.93,28.71,20.42,0,090,0.10,0.71,0.19,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,57915840,,Nerve palsy fascial graft,A,,14.62,9.65,NA,9.65,,2.27,26.54,26.54,0,090,0.10,0.71,0.19,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,58015841,,Nerve palsy muscle graft,A,,25.34,17.28,NA,17.28,,4.71,47.33,47.33,0,090,0.10,0.71,0.19,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,58115842,,Nerve palsy microsurg graft,A,,39.98,23.36,NA,23.36,,7.43,70.77,70.77,0,090,0.10,0.71,0.19,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00