Billing code 12017: Wound repairMedicare rate & RVUs in Nevada
Reports simple closure of superficial wounds totaling 20.1–30.0 cm on the face, ears, eyelids, nose, lips, or mucous membranes.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 12017 in Nevada.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 9 sections
What 12017 covers
This code covers simple, usually one-layer closure of superficial wounds on the face, ears, eyelids, nose, lips, or mucous membranes when the total repaired length is 20.1–30.0 cm. It is used for repairs such as facial or lip lacerations that do not require the more involved closure represented by an intermediate or complex repair. Physicians in emergency departments, hospital facilities, urgent care, and surgical or outpatient settings may perform the service.
Select the code by repair type, anatomical group, and total length of wounds repaired in that group. Document each wound’s location and length, the closure method, and why the repair is simple. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. 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. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
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.
12017 in Nevada**
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Nevada** | Unavailable | $149.99 |
How the 12017 rate is calculated
Each of 12017’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 12017
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work3.10
3.10 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.74
0.74 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.78
0.78 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
4.6200
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$154.31
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 12017
The CMS indicators that decide how 12017 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 12017
Wound repair
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
12017 without 51 · national facility
$154.31
Wound repair
12017-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$77.16
When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).
12017 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 12016Simple wound repair
- Use 12016 when simple repairs in this anatomical group total 12.6–20.0 cm; 12017 covers 20.1–30.0 cm.
- 12018Wound repair
- Use 12018 when the simple repairs in this anatomical group total more than 30.0 cm.
- 12006Simple wound repair
- The length range is the same, but 12006 is for simple repairs in a different anatomical group: scalp, axillae, trunk, or extremities.
- 12056Wound repair
- Both codes cover a 20.1–30.0 cm repair in the face-related anatomical group; 12056 is for intermediate rather than simple repair.
12017 billing questions
How is the 20.1–30.0 cm length determined when there are several wounds?
Add the lengths of the simple repairs in this anatomical group. Keep documentation of each wound’s site and measured length to support the total.
When should a more involved repair code be considered instead?
Choose the repair code that matches the documented closure complexity. This code is for simple superficial closure, not a repair requiring intermediate or complex techniques.
Can modifier 50 be reported for wounds on both sides of the face?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; modifier 50 should not be used.
How are other procedures performed in the same session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.
What must be documented for an assistant at surgery?
Document the medical necessity for the assistant. CMS payment for an assistant at surgery is conditional on that documentation.
Does the global period include same-day follow-up care?
Yes. This minor procedure has a 0-day global period, which includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
Fee sheets
Put 12017 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →