Soft tissue repair · Multi-region
Add-on for each extra 100 square centimeters, or 1 percent of body area in children, of split-thickness skin autograft to the trunk, arms, or legs.
- Medicare
- $201.41
- Work RVU
- 1.68
- Global, days
- Region
- Multi-region
Documentation requirements
What must appear in the operative or office note to support the claim.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in 3 cited references ↓
- Total recipient area in sq cm
- Sites grafted and confirmation they are trunk, arm, or leg
- Primary 15100 on the same claim
- Donor site and graft thickness
- Units calculated from documented area
Applicable modifiers
Modifiers commonly billed with this code.
Source · AMA CPT modifier descriptors · CMS NCCI Policy Manual
What this code covers
Source · Editorial summary grounded in 3 cited references ↓
15101 is the add-on to 15100 for each additional 100 sq cm, or part of it, of split-thickness graft on the trunk, arms, or legs. It has a ZZZ global and is only paid with 15100 on the same claim.
Orthopedic surgeons need it for large wounds: a long fasciotomy on the leg, extensive degloving of the thigh, or multiple open fracture wounds grafted in one session. Recipient areas on the trunk, arms, and legs are added together to figure total area.
Units are where the errors happen. If the total is 250 sq cm, that is 15100 plus two units of 15101. A partial unit counts as one. Measure recipient area, write it in the op note, and make the units match. Grafts to the face, hands, feet, or other special areas use the 15120 and 15121 codes instead, so do not combine those areas into the 15100 total.
RVU & reimbursement
Component RVUs and Medicare national rate. Actual payment varies by GPCI locality.
Source · CMS Physician Fee Schedule, RVU26A · January 2026
Work RVU vs. total RVU
The work RVU (1.68) is the surgeon's own effort — the figure physician pay and productivity targets are built on. The total RVU (6.03) adds practice overhead and malpractice, and is what drives the Medicare payment below.
| Work RVU | 1.68 |
| Practice expense RVU | 3.97 |
| Malpractice RVU | 0.38 |
| Total RVU | 6.03 |
| Medicare national rate | $201.41 |
| Global period | days |
Payment by site of service
Medicare pays different rates by setting. HOPD typically pays substantially more than ASC for the same procedure.
Source · CMS OPPS Addendum B·ASC HCPCS payment rates·2026
| Setting | Medicare rate (national) |
|---|---|
Office (PFS non-facility) Procedure performed in physician's office | $201.41 |
Common denial reasons
The recurring reasons claims for CPT 15101 get rejected.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in CMS NCCI edits, AAOS coding appeals, and cited references ↓
- Billed without 15100
- Units do not match documented area
- Hand or foot area included in the 15100 total
- Donor area used to calculate units
Frequently asked questions
Source · Generated from the editorial pipeline, verified against 3 cited references ↓
01How many units of 15101 for a 250 sq cm graft?
02Can I include a foot graft in the 15101 total?
03Can 15101 be billed alone?
Sources & references
Editorial content was developed using the following public sources.
Mira Scribe
Mira Scribe records the recipient area for each site, so the 15101 units on the claim match the op note.
See how Mira captures CPT 15101 documentation