CPT code 15576: Pedicle flap2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Oregon
Reports formation of a direct or tubed pedicle flap for reconstruction involving the nose, ears, eyelids, or lips.
Medicare pays $781.59–$839.96 for 15576 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 15576 covers
This service forms a skin flap that remains attached to its blood supply, either as a direct pedicle or a tube, for reconstruction of the nose, ears, eyelids, or lips. The surgeon may transfer the flap during the same operative session or prepare it for staged transfer. Plastic surgeons and other surgeons performing facial reconstruction may use it for defects after tumor removal, trauma, or another operation, when the chosen reconstruction uses a pedicle flap rather than local tissue rearrangement or a free graft.
Select this code by the recipient site: the listed facial structures distinguish it from other pedicle-flap formation codes. Document the defect, recipient site, flap design, vascular attachment, and whether transfer occurred. Medicare includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care in the 90-day global period. When multiple procedures occur in the same 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-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 15576 pays more and less in Oregon
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | $839.96 | $583.17 |
| Rest Of Oregon | $781.59 | $551.38 |
How the 15576 rate is calculated
Each of 15576’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 · 15576
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work9.14
9.14 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense13.52
13.52 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.13
1.13 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
23.7900
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$794.61
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 15576
15576 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 15576
Pedicle flap
| 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 · 15576
Pedicle flap
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
15576 without 51 · national office
$794.61
Pedicle flap
15576-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$397.31
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%).
15576 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 15574Pedicle flap
- Both codes describe pedicle-flap formation, but 15576 is selected for the nose, ears, eyelids, or lips; 15574 covers its own listed anatomic sites.
- 14060Local flap repair
- Use 14060 for adjacent tissue transfer or rearrangement at specified facial sites. Use 15576 when the reconstruction forms a direct or tubed pedicle flap.
- 15630Flap staging
- 15576 describes pedicle-flap formation, with or without transfer. 15630 describes later flap delay or division and inset at the nose, ears, eyelids, or lips.
15576 billing questions
How does 15576 differ from 15574?
15576 is for pedicle-flap formation involving the nose, ears, eyelids, or lips. Choose 15574 for its separately listed sites, such as the forehead, cheeks, chin, mouth, neck, axillae, genitalia, hands, or feet.
Does 15576 include later flap division and inset?
The code describes flap formation, with or without transfer. A later procedure to divide and inset a flap at these sites is represented by 15630.
What documentation supports reporting 15576?
Document the recipient site and defect, the direct or tubed pedicle-flap technique, and whether the flap was transferred during the operation. The record should make clear that the reconstruction used a pedicle flap.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral work?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code, and modifier 50 should not be used.
How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative visits?
The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
Under the standard multiple-procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery, and 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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