15825
No office rateRhytdct nck pltysml tghtg
Use 15838 for excision directed at the submental fat pad. Use 15825 for a neck rhytidectomy involving broader neck-lifting work.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
15838 Fat pad excision Medicare reimbursement rates in Michigan
Reports surgical removal of excess submental adipose tissue, typically to reduce a localized fat pad beneath the chin during facial or neck contouring. Compare 15838 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Michigan.
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 15838 in Michigan?
Michigan 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
No supported rate
Facility setting
$581.73–$623.92
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 15838: Submental fat pad excision
Reports surgical removal of excess submental adipose tissue, typically to reduce a localized fat pad beneath the chin during facial or neck contouring.
A surgeon removes excess adipose tissue in the submental region beneath the chin. Plastic and facial plastic surgeons commonly perform this contouring procedure in an outpatient operating room or hospital setting, sometimes as part of a broader neck or lower-face operation. The service is directed at the submental fat pad rather than excess skin elsewhere on the body or a general neck-lift procedure.
Report the code when the operative work removes the submental fat pad; documentation should identify the treated site, the excess tissue addressed, and the procedure performed. The code has 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 other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 15838
- 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 RVU8.04 · 45%
- Practice expense (office) RVU8.44 · 47%
- Malpractice RVU1.48 · 8%
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.
15838 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Michigan, from the same CMS release.
$919.19–$983.83
Use 15838 for the specifically identified submental fat pad; 15839 describes excision of excessive skin in another area.
15876
No office rateSuction lipectomy head&neck
Use 15838 for excision of the submental fat pad. Use 15876 when the service is suction-assisted lipectomy of the head and neck.
Compare 15838 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
Detroit →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$623.92
Rest Of Michigan →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$581.73
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15838 billing questions
How is this code distinguished from a neck rhytidectomy?
This code reports excision of the submental fat pad. A neck rhytidectomy addresses the broader neck-lifting work, such as skin and platysmal tightening.
Can it be reported with a neck-lift procedure?
It may be performed in the same session as a neck lift when the surgeon performs distinct submental fat-pad excision. Document the separate work and apply the same-session multiple-procedure payment rule.
Should modifier 50 be used for work under the chin?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
The operative report should specify the submental location, the excess fat pad treated, and the excision performed. A general description of neck contouring alone does not establish this specific service.
When is assistant-at-surgery payment allowed?
Only when the record documents medical necessity for the assistant. Co-surgeon and team-surgery payment are not permitted 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 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.
1,57415835,,Exc excessive skin buttock,A,,12.67,10.27,NA,10.27,,2.35,25.29,25.29,0,090,0.10,0.71,0.19,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,57515836,,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