Billing code 41510: Tongue adhesionMedicare rate & RVUs in Utah
Reports surgical fixation of the tongue to the lip, commonly to limit posterior tongue movement in an infant with glossoptosis and airway obstruction.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 41510 in Utah.
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 41510 covers
The surgeon secures the tongue forward to the lip to reduce its tendency to fall back and obstruct the airway. A common clinical setting is an infant with micrognathia and glossoptosis, including Pierre Robin sequence. An otolaryngologist or oral and maxillofacial surgeon typically performs the operation in an operating room under general anesthesia.
Report 41510 when the operative work is tongue-to-lip fixation, rather than another tongue procedure intended to address obstruction. The operative report should identify the fixation performed and the clinical problem it addresses. CMS assigns a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. An assistant is paid only when medical necessity is documented. Modifier 50 is inappropriate; 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.
41510 in Utah
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Utah | Unavailable | $411.20 |
How the 41510 rate is calculated
Each of 41510’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 · 41510
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 3.42Practice expense 9.00Malpractice 0.48
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 41510
41510 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 41510
Tongue adhesion
| 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) | 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. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.09/0.81/0.10 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 41510
Tongue adhesion
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
41510 without 51 · national facility
$430.87
Tongue adhesion
41510-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$215.44
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%).
41510 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
41510 vs 41512 vs 41520 vs 41530: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 41512Tongue suspension
- 41510 fixes the tongue to the lip; 41512 describes tongue suspension, a different operative technique.
- 41520Frenuloplasty
- 41520 concerns reconstruction of a tongue fold, not tongue-to-lip fixation for limiting posterior tongue movement.
- 41530Tongue base reduction
- 41530 reduces tongue-base volume; 41510 holds the tongue forward by attaching it to the lip.
41510 billing questions
When should 41510 be chosen over tongue suspension?
Use 41510 when the surgeon fixes the tongue to the lip. Tongue suspension is a different operation, even when both procedures address airway obstruction.
Does 41510 include postoperative care?
Its 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can modifier 50 be reported?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
When is an assistant at surgery payable?
Only when the record documents the medical necessity of the assistant.
How is 41510 paid when another procedure is performed in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full; other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.
What documentation supports reporting 41510?
The operative report should show that the tongue was secured to the lip and describe the clinical indication, such as glossoptosis contributing to airway obstruction.
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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