CPT 14001: Adjacent Tissue Transfer for Trunk Defect 10.1–30.0 cm2 - OpenPayer

Summary & Overview

CPT 14001: Adjacent Tissue Transfer for Trunk Defect 10.1–30.0 cm2

CPT code 14001 covers adjacent tissue transfer or rearrangement procedures used to repair defects of the trunk measuring greater than 10.0 cm2 and up to 30.0 cm2. This code identifies a specific reconstructive surgical service commonly performed by plastic surgeons, dermatologic surgeons, and generalist proceduralists for wound closure, scar revision, and soft-tissue defect repair. Nationally, precise coding for reconstructive transfers affects procedure classification, payment grouping, and comparative utilization across surgical specialties.

Key payers addressed in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, United Healthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of clinical intent and typical sites of service, common diagnostic contexts supporting use of the code, related CPT code distinctions, and common billing modifiers. The publication highlights benchmarking elements relevant to provider billing and claims processing, outlines relationships to related codes such as 14000, and summarizes clinical situations where the code is applicable, including scar revision and surgical wound complications. This summary is intended for a national audience of clinicians, coding professionals, and policy analysts seeking an operational understanding of CPT code 14001 in reconstructive trunk surgery.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnited HealthcareMedicareCPT 14001adjacent tissue transferreconstructive surgerytrunk defect repairplastic surgerysurgical codingprocedure codingwound closure

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 14001 describes a surgical procedure in which the provider repairs defects of the trunk by transferring healthy tissue from an adjacent body part. The procedure represents an adjacent tissue transfer or rearrangement for defects measuring greater than 10.0 cm2 and up to 30.0 cm2.

Service type: Surgical reconstructive procedure — adjacent tissue transfer/rearrangement

Typical site of service: Operating room or ambulatory surgical center, performed by a surgical specialist in a procedural setting.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 46-year-old patient presents with a hypertrophic post-surgical scar and a focal area of skin contracture on the right lateral trunk following resection of a soft-tissue mass. Conservative measures, including intralesional corticosteroid injections and topical therapy, have failed to relieve pain and restrict range of motion. The surgeon (plastic surgeon) evaluates the defect after excision of scar tissue and plans an adjacent tissue transfer to close the resulting defect measuring approximately 18 cm2. The procedure is performed in an outpatient surgery center under monitored anesthesia care. Preoperative documentation includes the indication (hypertrophic scar L91.0), prior wound history, measurement of the defect (10.1–30.0 cm2), consent for possible graft or flap extension, and marking of the adjacent tissue flap. Intraoperative documentation records the flap design, dimensions, flap elevation, transfer technique, hemostasis, and closure. Postoperative notes include estimated blood loss, complications (if any), wound care instructions, and planned follow-up visits for suture removal and scar management. Billing uses 14001 for adjacent tissue transfer or rearrangement of the trunk for a defect greater than 10.0 cm2 and up to 30.0 cm2, with any applicable modifier(s) appended per payer requirements.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`

Related Codes

19318

CPT 19318: Reduction Mammoplasty

14000

CPT 14000: Adjacent Tissue Transfer or Rearrangement, Trunk, Small Defect

cpt-11042-surgical-debridement-skin-subcutaneous

CPT 11042: Surgical Debridement of Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue, up to 20 cm2

15200

CPT 15200: Full-Thickness Skin Graft, Trunk, 20 sq cm or Less

15734

CPT 15734: Muscle or Myocutaneous Flap Surgery for Trunk Reconstruction

11760

CPT 11760: Repair of Nail Bed, Surgical Procedure

11603

CPT 11603: Excision of Malignant Skin Lesion, 2.1–3.0 cm

12001

CPT 12001: Simple Repair of Superficial Wounds, ≤2.5 cm

14002

CPT 14002: Adjacent Tissue Transfer or Rearrangement, Trunk, 10.1–30.0 sq cm

19302

CPT 19302: Partial Mastectomy with Axillary Lymphadenectomy

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Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`208600000X`	Plastic Surgery	Primary specialty performing complex adjacent tissue transfers for trunk defects.
`207Q00000X`	Family Medicine	May perform simpler repairs or coordinate pre/postoperative care when scope of practice includes minor procedures.
`207P00000X`	Dermatology	May perform adjacent tissue transfer for selected trunk defects, particularly after excision of skin lesions.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`L90.5`	Scar conditions and fibrosis of skin	Indicates pathologic scarring and fibrosis that may require excision and adjacent tissue transfer for functional or cosmetic reasons.
`L91.0`	Hypertrophic scar	Common indication for scar revision and flap-based closure when conservative therapy fails.
`T81.31XA`	Disruption of external operation (surgical) wound, not elsewhere classified, initial encounter	Relevant when previous surgical wounds have dehisced requiring revision and adjacent tissue transfer for closure.
`S01.81XA`	Laceration without foreign body of other part of head, initial encounter	Provided in the input; clinically relevant when similar adjacent tissue transfer techniques are applied to laceration repairs, though this CPT describes trunk procedures.
`S31.119A`	Laceration without foreign body of abdominal wall, initial encounter	Relevant when traumatic lacerations of the abdominal wall require tissue rearrangement for definitive closure; helps justify flap repair on the trunk.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`14000`	Adjacent tissue transfer or rearrangement, trunk; defect 10 sq cm or less	Used for smaller defects when the measured defect is 10.0 cm2 or less; select `14001` instead when defect is 10.1–30.0 cm2.