Billing code 15040: Skin harvestMedicare rate & RVUs in Washington
Reports the initial harvest of donor skin for a cultured skin autograft, commonly used when extensive burns or wounds require expanded patient-derived skin.
Medicare pays $281.74–$318.92 for 15040 in the office in Washington, from Rest Of Washington to Seattle (King Cnty). 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 15040 covers
A clinician obtains a small sample of the patient’s skin to provide cells for a cultured skin autograft. Burn and plastic surgeons commonly perform the harvest for patients with extensive burns or other large wounds where donor skin is limited. The sample is cultured for later grafting; this code represents the harvest, not placement of the cultured skin at the wound.
Report 15040 for the initial harvested area, up to 25 sq cm; use 15041 for each additional 25 sq cm or part thereof. Documentation should identify the donor site, the harvested area, and the intent to produce a cultured autograft. The procedure has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service, 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 15040 pays more and less in Washington
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Rest Of Washington | $281.74 | $113.62 |
| Seattle (King Cnty) | $318.92 | $123.02 |
How the 15040 rate is calculated
Each of 15040’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 · 15040
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 1.95Practice expense 5.86Malpractice 0.38
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 15040
The CMS indicators that decide how 15040 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 15040
Skin harvest
| 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 | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| 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. |
15040 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
15040 vs 15011 vs 15050 vs 15002: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 15011Hrv skn cll ssp agrft 1st 25
- Choose 15040 for donor skin intended for a cultured skin autograft; 15011 describes harvesting for a skin-cell suspension autograft.
- 15050Pinch graft
- 15050 describes pinch grafting for a small defect, not harvesting skin for culture and later grafting.
- 15002Wound preparation
- 15002 reports recipient-site preparation on the trunk or extremities; 15040 reports harvesting donor skin for culture.
15040 billing questions
How does this differ from code 15011?
Code 15040 reports harvesting skin for a cultured skin autograft. Code 15011 is for harvesting skin for a skin-cell suspension autograft, a different graft method.
Does 15040 include placement of the cultured skin?
No. It covers obtaining the donor skin sample, not preparing the recipient wound or placing the later cultured graft.
How is the harvested area counted?
Report 15040 for the first 25 sq cm. Code 15041 represents each additional 25 sq cm or part thereof.
Can modifier 50 be used?
No. The descriptor and anatomy make bilateral reporting with modifier 50 inappropriate.
What same-day care is included?
The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. 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
Fee sheets
Put 15040 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 →