Billing code 15240: Skin graftMedicare rate & RVUs in Oregon
Reports a free full-thickness skin graft of 20 square centimeters or less to specified sites, including the face, neck, axilla, genitalia, hands, or feet.
Medicare pays $922.15–$993.12 for 15240 in the office in Oregon, from Rest Of Oregon to Portland. Which amount applies depends on the service address.
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 15240 covers
This code covers placement of a free full-thickness skin graft measuring 20 square centimeters or less at the forehead, cheeks, chin, mouth, neck, axilla, genitalia, hands, or feet. The graft is harvested from a donor site, and direct closure of that donor site is included. Plastic surgeons, dermatologic surgeons, and other surgeons performing reconstruction may use it to cover a defect after excision, trauma, or another procedure when a full-thickness graft is selected.
Select the code by graft type, recipient-site category, and total graft area; document the recipient site, graft dimensions, and donor-site closure. Report 15241 for each additional 20 square centimeters or part thereof. The service has a 90-day global period that includes 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. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code, and 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.
Where 15240 pays more and less in Oregon
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | $993.12 | $727.06 |
| Rest Of Oregon | $922.15 | $683.63 |
How the 15240 rate is calculated
Each of 15240’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 · 15240
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work10.15
10.15 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense16.59
16.59 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.33
1.33 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
28.0700
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$937.56
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 15240
15240 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 15240
Skin graft
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are 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) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.71/0.19 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 15240
Skin graft
90-day global period ends
Dec 30, 2026
Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).
Visit on Oct 31, 2026
Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
15240 without 51 · national office
$937.56
Skin graft
15240-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$468.78
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%).
15240 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 15200Skin graft
- Both describe free full-thickness skin grafting, but 15200 applies to the trunk. Choose 15240 for its specified facial, neck, axillary, genital, hand, and foot sites.
- 15220Skin graft
- 15220 is for the scalp, arms, or legs. 15240 covers the forehead, cheeks, chin, mouth, neck, axilla, genitalia, hands, or feet.
- 15260Full-thickness graft
- 15260 is for the nose, ears, eyelids, or lips; 15240 covers other specified sites such as the cheeks, chin, mouth, hands, and feet.
- 15271Skin substitute graft
- 15271 reports application of a skin substitute graft to the trunk, arms, or legs, not a free full-thickness skin graft to a 15240 site.
15240 billing questions
When should I choose 15240 rather than another full-thickness graft code?
Use 15240 for a graft of 20 square centimeters or less at the forehead, cheeks, chin, mouth, neck, axilla, genitalia, hands, or feet. Other full-thickness graft codes cover different recipient-site groups.
What is included in 15240?
Direct closure of the skin-graft donor site is included. The code does not describe a skin-substitute graft application.
How do I report graft area over 20 square centimeters?
Report 15240 for the first 20 square centimeters or less and 15241 for each additional 20 square centimeters or part thereof. Document the graft area and recipient site.
Can I report modifier 50 for grafts on both sides?
No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply to 15240, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code.
Does the 90-day global period include routine postoperative care?
Yes. The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be paid for 15240?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
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
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