$13.50
Choose 15853 when sutures or staples can be removed without anesthesia. Code 15851 is for removal requiring anesthesia.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
15851 Suture removal Medicare reimbursement rates in Minnesota
Report removal of sutures or staples when anesthesia is required, such as for closure material being removed from a postoperative wound. Compare 15851 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 15851 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
$55.93
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.
Wound care
About 15851: Suture or staple removal requiring anesthesia
Report removal of sutures or staples when anesthesia is required, such as for closure material being removed from a postoperative wound.
This service covers removal of sutures or staples when the patient needs anesthesia for the removal. It is typically performed by a physician in a procedure or operating room setting, for example when closure material from a surgical incision cannot be removed during an awake office visit. The service is distinct from routine removal that can be completed without anesthesia and from a dressing change alone.
Document the wound or incision, the sutures or staples removed, and why anesthesia was required. 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, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the remaining procedures are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 15851
- 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 not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU1.07 · 61%
- Practice expense (office) RVU0.55 · 31%
- Malpractice RVU0.13 · 7%
2.9K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2201 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.
15851 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Minnesota, from the same CMS release.
$17.97
Choose 15854 for removal of both sutures and staples without anesthesia. Anesthesia-required removal is reported with 15851.
No office rate
Code 15852 describes a dressing change under anesthesia, not removal of sutures or staples. Report the service supported by the work performed.
Compare 15851 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
$55.93
Need rates for a whole code list?
Fee-sheet and API access are in early access. Tell us which codes and locations your team needs.
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 15851 in Minnesota.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
1,584
- Code
- 15851
- Physician work
- 1.07
- Practice expense
- 0.55
- Malpractice
- 0.13
GPCI2026.csv
66
- Locality
- Minnesota
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 1.029
- Malpractice
- 0.296
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 1.07 | × 1.000 | 1.0700 |
| Practice expense | 0.55 | × 1.029 | 0.5659 |
| Malpractice | 0.13 | × 0.296 | 0.0385 |
| Total RVUs | 1.6744 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Minnesota$55.93
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 1.07 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 0.55 | 1.029 |
| Malpractice | 0.13 | 0.296 |
(1.07 × 1 + 0.55 × 1.029 + 0.13 × 0.296) × $33.4009 = $55.93
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.
15851 billing questions
How does this differ from 15853 or 15854?
Use 15851 when anesthesia is required for suture or staple removal. Codes 15853 and 15854 describe removal without anesthesia; 15854 is for removal of both sutures and staples.
What documentation supports reporting 15851?
Document the wound, the sutures or staples removed, and the clinical reason anesthesia was necessary. The record should support that this was not routine removal performed without anesthesia.
Is same-day postoperative care separately included?
The code has a 0-day global period, which includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full; other procedures in that session are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction.
Can modifier 50 or an assistant-at-surgery claim be reported?
Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code.
Can co-surgeons or a surgical team report this service?
Co-surgeons and team surgery 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.
1,58115842,,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
1,58515852,,Dressing change not for burn,A,,0.84,0.20,NA,0.20,,0.12,1.16,1.16,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,58615853,,Removal sutr/stapl xreq anes,A,,0.00,0.39,,0.39,NA,0.01,0.40,0.40,5,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,58715854,,Removal sutr&stapl xreq anes,A,,0.00,0.52,,0.52,NA,0.01,0.53,0.53,5,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,1,0,0,9,,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