Billing code 15152: Cultured skin graftMedicare rate & RVUs in Washington
Reports each additional 1% of body area treated with a cultured skin autograft on an infant’s or child’s trunk, arms, or legs.
Medicare pays $152.99–$166.15 for 15152 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 15152 covers
This add-on reports additional recipient area treated with a tissue-cultured skin autograft on the trunk, arms, or legs of an infant or child. Burn and plastic surgeons commonly use cultured autologous skin in extensive burn care when grafting large wound areas. The code represents each additional 1% of body area treated, rather than another 100-square-centimeter increment.
Report 15152 with the applicable primary cultured-skin-graft procedure, generally 15150 for the initial area. Documentation should identify the treated body sites, the total area grafted, and the patient’s body-area calculation supporting each additional 1% unit. CMS classifies 15152 as an add-on: it is not billed by itself, and its payment is included within the primary procedure’s global period.
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 15152 pays more and less in Washington
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Rest Of Washington | $152.99 | $119.58 |
| Seattle (King Cnty) | $166.15 | $127.22 |
How the 15152 rate is calculated
Each of 15152’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 · 15152
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work2.44
2.44 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.54
1.54 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.64
0.64 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 15152
The CMS indicators that decide how 15152 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 15152
Cultured skin graft
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | ZZZ | Add-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period. |
| 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. |
15152 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 15151Cultured skin graft
- 15151 counts additional trunk, arm, or leg graft area in 100-square-centimeter increments. 15152 counts each additional 1% of body area for an infant or child.
- 15157Skin substitute graft
- 15157 uses additional 1% body-area increments for specified sites including the face, scalp, neck, hands, feet, or genitals. 15152 is for the trunk, arms, or legs.
- 15150Cultured skin graft
- 15150 reports the initial area of a cultured skin autograft on the trunk, arms, or legs; 15152 reports additional pediatric area and is an add-on.
- 15100Skin graft
- 15100 describes a split-thickness autograft for the trunk, arms, or legs. 15152 is an additional-area code for a tissue-cultured autograft in an infant or child.
15152 billing questions
When should 15152 be chosen instead of 15151?
Use 15152 for each additional 1% of body area in an infant or child. Code 15151 represents additional area in 100-square-centimeter increments.
Which primary code is reported with 15152?
Report it with the primary cultured skin autograft service for the initial area, generally 15150 for the trunk, arms, or legs.
Can 15152 be billed by itself?
No. CMS identifies it as an add-on code that must be billed with a primary procedure.
How many units should be reported?
Report a unit for each additional 1% of the infant’s or child’s body area treated. The record should support the body-area calculation and treated extent.
What documentation supports this code?
Document the cultured autograft, recipient sites on the trunk, arms, or legs, total treated area, and the calculation supporting each additional 1% unit.
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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