$158.35
Both cover the same designated special sites, but 15275 is the initial-area code for the smaller-area tier. Choose 15277 when the treated area meets the large-area threshold.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
15277 Skin substitute graft Medicare reimbursement rates in Minnesota
Reports skin substitute graft application to a large wound on the face, scalp, neck, hands, feet, or other designated sites. Compare 15277 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Minnesota.
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 15277 in Minnesota?
Minnesota 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
$350.37
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Minnesota
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$181.96
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Minnesota
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.
Skin graft application
About 15277: Large-area special-site skin substitute graft
Reports skin substitute graft application to a large wound on the face, scalp, neck, hands, feet, or other designated sites.
This code covers application of a skin substitute graft to a wound involving at least 100 square centimeters at designated sites, including the face, scalp, eyelids, mouth, neck, ears, orbits, genitalia, hands, and feet. For infants and children, the area threshold is expressed as the first 1% of body surface area. Plastic surgeons, other surgeons, podiatrists, and wound-care clinicians may perform the service for appropriate burns, traumatic wounds, or chronic wound defects in office, outpatient, or facility settings.
Report this as the initial-area service; code 15278 represents each additional area increment when warranted. Document the wound location and treated surface area, or the infant’s or child’s body-surface-area calculation, along with the graft application. Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in its 0-day global period. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 15277
- 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
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU3.90 · 36%
- Practice expense (office) RVU6.20 · 57%
- Malpractice RVU0.71 · 7%
1.9K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2485 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.
15277 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Minnesota, from the same CMS release.
$98.29
15277 reports the initial area; 15278 reports additional area increments beyond it. Do not use 15278 as the initial-area code.
$312.84
15273 is the large-area application code for trunk, arms, or legs. Use 15277 for the designated special sites, such as the face, hands, or feet.
Compare 15277 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
Minnesota →
Office / nonfacility
$350.37
Facility
$181.96
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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 15277 in Minnesota.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
1,518
- Code
- 15277
- Physician work
- 3.90
- Practice expense
- 6.20
- Malpractice
- 0.71
GPCI2026.csv
66
- Locality
- Minnesota
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 1.029
- Malpractice
- 0.296
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 3.90 | × 1.000 | 3.9000 |
| Practice expense | 6.20 | × 1.029 | 6.3798 |
| Malpractice | 0.71 | × 0.296 | 0.2102 |
| Total RVUs | 10.4900 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Minnesota$350.37
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 3.9 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 6.2 | 1.029 |
| Malpractice | 0.71 | 0.296 |
(3.9 × 1 + 6.2 × 1.029 + 0.71 × 0.296) × $33.4009 = $350.37
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 3.9 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 1.3 | 1.029 |
| Malpractice | 0.71 | 0.296 |
(3.9 × 1 + 1.3 × 1.029 + 0.71 × 0.296) × $33.4009 = $181.96
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.
15277 billing questions
How is 15277 distinguished from 15275?
Both apply to the designated special sites. Use 15277 for the initial area when the wound area reaches the large-area threshold, including the first 1% of body surface area for an infant or child; 15275 is for the smaller-area tier.
When is 15278 reported with 15277?
15278 reports each additional area increment after the initial area represented by 15277. The wound-area documentation should support the additional increment.
Should modifier 50 be used for wounds on both hands or feet?
No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Report based on the applicable treated-area rules.
Is same-day wound care included in the global period?
The code has a 0-day global period, which includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
How does the multiple-procedure reduction affect 15277?
When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction.
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.
1,51515274,,Skn sub grft t/a/l child add,A,,0.78,1.65,,0.22,,0.17,2.60,1.17,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,51615275,,Skin sub graft face/nk/hf/g,A,,1.78,2.82,,0.54,,0.20,4.80,2.52,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,51715276,,Skin sub graft f/n/hf/g addl,A,,0.49,0.45,,0.10,,0.07,1.01,0.66,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,51815277,,Skn sub grft f/n/hf/g child,A,,3.90,6.20,,1.30,,0.71,10.81,5.91,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,51915278,,Skn sub grft f/n/hf/g ch add,A,,0.98,1.85,,0.28,,0.20,3.03,1.46,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,52015570,,Skin pedicle flap trunk,A,,9.95,17.44,,8.20,,1.99,29.38,20.14,0,090,0.10,0.71,0.19,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,52115572,,Skin pedicle flap arms/legs,A,,9.87,16.35,,8.43,,1.76,27.98,20.06,0,090,0.10,0.71,0.19,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6314212,MA,99,REST OF MASSACHUSETTS,1.016,1.053,0.797
6408202,MI,01,DETROIT,1.000,0.965,1.686
6508202,MI,99,REST OF MICHIGAN,1.000,0.913,1.129
6606202,MN,00,MINNESOTA,1.000,1.029,0.296
6707302,MS,00,MISSISSIPPI,1.000,0.861,0.739
6805302,MO,02,METROPOLITAN KANSAS CITY,1.000,0.939,0.977
6905302,MO,01,METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS,1.000,0.952,1.002