Billing code 15853: Closure removalMedicare rate & RVUs in Washington
Report 15853 for supervised removal of sutures or staples without anesthesia, as an add-on within the global period of a primary procedure.
Medicare pays $13.97–$16.26 for 15853 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 15853 covers
Code 15853 covers removal of sutures or staples without anesthesia, typically during postoperative wound follow-up after an incision has healed sufficiently. In an office, a nurse or other clinical staff member may perform the task under physician supervision. The code applies when one closure type—sutures or staples—is removed, not both.
Report 15853 only as an add-on with a primary procedure; it is not a stand-alone service. CMS treats it as an incident-to service, so it may be billed only when performed under physician supervision, and payment falls within the primary procedure’s global period. CMS assigns the service zero physician work RVUs. Documentation should identify the original procedure, wound site, closure type removed, and that removal did not require anesthesia. Use 15854 when both sutures and staples are removed, or 15851 when removal requires anesthesia.
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 15853 pays more and less in Washington
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Rest Of Washington | $13.97 | Unavailable |
| Seattle (King Cnty) | $16.26 | Unavailable |
How the 15853 rate is calculated
Each of 15853’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 · 15853
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.00
0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.39
0.39 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.01
0.01 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
0.4000
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$13.36
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 15853
The CMS indicators that decide how 15853 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 15853
Closure removal
| 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 | 5 | Incident-to service. |
15853 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 15854Suture removal
- 15853 is for removing sutures or staples, but not both. 15854 applies when both types are removed without anesthesia.
- 15851Suture removal
- Choose 15851 when removal requires anesthesia; 15853 is for removal without anesthesia.
- 15852Dressing change
- 15852 describes a dressing change. It does not represent removal of sutures or staples.
15853 billing questions
When should 15853 be chosen over 15854?
Use 15853 when removing sutures or staples, but not both. When both types are removed during the service, use 15854.
Can 15853 be billed by itself?
No. It is an add-on code and must be reported with a primary procedure; its payment is within that procedure’s global period.
Who may perform the removal?
A physician-supervised clinical staff member may perform it as an incident-to service. The claim is billable only when the required physician supervision is present.
What supports reporting 15853?
Document the primary procedure, the wound site, whether sutures or staples were removed, and that anesthesia was not required.
How does 15853 differ from 15851?
15853 describes removal without anesthesia. Use 15851 when removal requires anesthesia.
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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