No office rate
Use 15840 for the facial paralysis graft procedure using fascia. Use 15842 when the reconstruction uses nerve grafting with microsurgical technique.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
15842 Nerve graft Medicare reimbursement rates in Minnesota
Microsurgical nerve grafting for facial paralysis is reported when a surgeon reconstructs the affected facial nerve pathway using grafted nerve tissue. Compare 15842 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 15842 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
No supported rate
Facility setting
$2211.70
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.
Facial reconstruction
About 15842: Microsurgical nerve graft for facial paralysis
Microsurgical nerve grafting for facial paralysis is reported when a surgeon reconstructs the affected facial nerve pathway using grafted nerve tissue.
The surgeon uses microsurgical technique to bridge a nerve deficit as part of reconstruction for facial paralysis, with the goal of restoring or improving facial movement. This is the nerve-graft option among facial paralysis graft procedures, distinct from grafting fascia or muscle. It is generally performed by a plastic or reconstructive surgeon, facial plastic surgeon, or another surgeon experienced in facial nerve reconstruction in an operating room. The operative report should identify the paralysis, the nerve graft reconstruction performed, and the recipient nerve pathway and microsurgical connections.
Report this procedure for the facial paralysis nerve-graft operation, not for a fascia or muscle graft used for the same reconstructive purpose. Documentation should support the graft method and the microsurgical work. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care for 90 days. 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. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 15842
- 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 may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU39.98 · 56%
- Practice expense (office) RVU23.36 · 33%
- Malpractice RVU7.43 · 10%
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.
15842 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Minnesota, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Use 15841 for the facial paralysis graft procedure using muscle. Code 15842 describes the nerve-graft approach.
No office rate
64885 describes a head or neck nerve graft selected by graft length. Code 15842 is specific to microsurgical nerve grafting for facial paralysis.
Compare 15842 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
Unavailable
Facility
$2211.70
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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 15842 in Minnesota.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
1,581
- Code
- 15842
- Physician work
- 39.98
- Practice expense
- 23.36
- Malpractice
- 7.43
GPCI2026.csv
66
- Locality
- Minnesota
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 1.029
- Malpractice
- 0.296
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 39.98 | × 1.000 | 39.9800 |
| Practice expense | 23.36 | × 1.029 | 24.0374 |
| Malpractice | 7.43 | × 0.296 | 2.1993 |
| Total RVUs | 66.2167 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Minnesota$2211.70
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 39.98 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 23.36 | 1.029 |
| Malpractice | 7.43 | 0.296 |
(39.98 × 1 + 23.36 × 1.029 + 7.43 × 0.296) × $33.4009 = $2211.70
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.
15842 billing questions
How does this differ from 15840 or 15841?
15842 is the nerve-graft approach for facial paralysis using microsurgical technique. Codes 15840 and 15841 represent fascia and muscle graft approaches, respectively.
Does this code include the related postoperative visits?
CMS assigns a 90-day global period. The day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the 90 days are included.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral facial paralysis?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code. Do not use modifier 50 to report bilateral treatment.
May an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, while team surgery is not permitted.
What operative details support reporting 15842?
Document the facial paralysis, the nerve-graft reconstruction, and the microsurgical work, including the recipient nerve pathway and connections.
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.
1,57815839,,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
1,58215845,,Skin and muscle repair face,A,,13.96,12.42,NA,12.42,,2.59,28.97,28.97,0,090,0.10,0.71,0.19,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,58315847,,Exc skin abd add-on,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,YYY,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,58415851,,Removal sutr/staple req anes,A,,1.07,0.55,NA,0.55,,0.13,1.75,1.75,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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