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    OpenPayerBilling CodesAutografts/Tissue Cultured AutograftCPT cpt-15101-split-thickness-autograft-additional-100cm2
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    CPT 15101: Split-Thickness Autograft, Additional 100 cm²

    Medicare pays $207 and commercial payers pay $1474 on average nationally for this procedure.

    CPT code 15101 describes a split-thickness skin autograft harvested from the trunk, arms, or legs and placed for each additional 100 cm² (or each additional 1% body area for infants/children) beyond the primary graft; this is an adjunct surgical grafting service typically provided in an operating room or surgical suite and is associated with surgical wound and burn care procedures.

    For related coverage guidance, see recent payer policy updates: Mohs Micrographic Surgery, Mohs Micrographic Surgery, Mohs Micrographic Surgery.

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    National Reimbursement Benchmarks

    Medicare’s mean rate of $207.5 sits well below BUCA’s mean commercial benchmark of $1473.6, indicating a substantial gap between federal payment levels and the BUCA commercial average. Blue Cross Blue Shield and BUCA exhibit the highest mean levels overall, while Aetna, Cigna, and UnitedHealth Group have mean rates that fall between Medicare and the highest commercial averages; this highlights how Medicare reimbursement remains considerably lower than certain commercial markets.

    Dispersion measured as P75 minus P25 is widest for Blue Cross Blue Shield at $3,129.0 (P75 $3,866.7 minus P25 $736.7), followed by BUCA at $1,850.2 (P75 $2,325.4 minus P25 $474.2). UnitedHealth Group shows substantial spread of $164.4 (P75 $340.0 minus P25 $169.6). The tightest distributions are Aetna with $112.0 (P75 $168.0 minus P25 $54.0) and Cigna with $184.4 (P75 $303.4 minus P25 $149.0), indicating notably less variability for those payers compared with the largest commercial plans.

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    National Payer Mean Reimbursement Rates

    State Reimbursement Rates

    State: Alaska1 / 51

    Rate by payer

    Clinical & Coding Specifications

    Clinical Context

    A 7-year-old child presents to the regional burn center after a house fire with deep third-degree burns involving the head/face/neck, anterior chest wall, right upper extremity including the right hand, and right lower extremity. After initial resuscitation, wound debridement and assessment in the operating room, the burn surgery team performs a split-thickness skin autograft harvest from the thigh to cover areas of excised full‑thickness burn. The primary graft procedure is reported with 15100 for the first 100 cm2 (or first 1% BSA for a pediatric patient). The surgeon documents additional graft harvested and placed beyond the initial 100 cm2 (or additional 1% BSA), and reports each additional unit with 15101 as an add‑on code. Typical workflow includes preoperative assessment in the emergency/burn unit, operating room harvest and graft placement by a plastic or burn surgeon, intraoperative photography and measurement of graft surface area, postoperative wound checks in the pediatric inpatient unit or intensive care unit as needed, and scheduled outpatient follow‑up for graft take and rehabilitation.

    Related CPT Codes

    CPT CodeDescriptionRelationship to This Procedure
    15100Split‑thickness autograft, trunk, arms, legs; first 100 sq. cm or lessPrimary procedure code for the initial 100 cm2 (or first 1% BSA in children); is reported in addition for each additional 100 cm2 or additional 1% BSA

    Related Modifiers

    9 rows

    ModifierDescriptionWhen to Use
    59Modifier 59 indicates a distinct procedural service when two procedures that are not normally billed together are clinically and procedurally separate. The CPT definition (as reiterated by CMS)…- Use modifier -59 to report a distinct procedural service when documentation supports that the procedure reported is not normally billed together with another service on the same day because of a…
    22Modifier –22 (Increased Procedural Services) is used when a reported procedure is substantially more extensive than normally required. The CPT Manual and CMS state it may be appended only when the…- When to use: Append modifier -22 to a procedural CPT code when the service performed is substantially more extensive than the usual service described by that code — i.e., the procedure required…
    52Modifier ‑52 (Reduced Services) indicates that a service or procedure was partially reduced or omitted at the provider’s discretion, allowing reporting of the basic procedure number with a qualifier…- Use modifier -52 when a physician or qualified health professional electively reduces or omits part of a procedure or service (for example, performing fewer required views or omitting a portion of…
    53Modifier 53 (Discontinued Procedure) signals that a surgical or diagnostic service was begun by the physician but terminated because of extenuating circumstances that threatened the patient’s…- Use modifier -53 when a physician/qualified healthcare professional has started a surgical or diagnostic procedure (e.g., anesthesia administered, incision or scope insertion) and then discontinues…
    51Modifier –51 (Multiple Procedures) is used when the same provider performs multiple procedures in the same session to identify secondary, non‑exempt procedures and indicate payment reduction logic…- Use modifier -51 when the same provider performs multiple distinct procedures during the same patient encounter: report the highest‑valued procedure first (no modifier) and append -51 to…
    26Modifier 26 (Professional Component) identifies and bills only the professional portion of a split service — the physician’s interpretation, report, and medical judgment — when the technical…- Use CPT Modifier -26 when you are billing only the professional component (PC) of a split‑bill eligible service—i.e., you performed the physician interpretation, medical judgment and prepared a…
    79Modifier 79 indicates a surgical procedure performed during the postoperative global period of a prior surgery that is unrelated to the original procedure. Per AMA/CPT and CMS guidance, it is…- Use modifier 79 when the same physician (or same‑specialty physician in the same group) performs a surgical procedure during the postoperative global period of a prior surgery and the new procedure…
    78CPT modifier -78 indicates an unplanned, related return to the operating or procedure room by the same provider during the global postoperative period. It is appended when treatment for a…- Use modifier -78 when an unplanned, related complication during the original procedure’s global postoperative period requires the patient to return to a formal operating or procedure room and the…
    63Modifier‑63 is appended to surgical CPT codes (20000–69990) when a procedure is performed on a neonate or infant weighing ≤ 4 kg (about 8.8 lbs). The AMA/AAPC definition specifies this use and notes…- Use modifier -63 only for surgical procedures in the CPT 20000–69990 series performed on a neonate or infant who weighs ≤ 4 kg at the time of the procedure; it indicates increased complexity due to…

    Related Provider Taxonomies

    8 rows

    Taxonomy Code
    208600000X
    208800000X
    2086S0122X
    261QM1100X
    261QP0904X
    332U00000X
    163WW0101X
    363LW0102X

    Related ICD-10-CM Codes

    23 rows

    ICD-10-CM CodeDescription
    L08.9Local infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissue, unspecified
    L89.101Pressure ulcer of unspecified part of back, stage 1
    L89.201Pressure ulcer of unspecified hip, stage 1
    L89.311Pressure ulcer of right buttock, stage 1
    L89.521Pressure ulcer of left ankle, stage 1
    L90.5Scar conditions and fibrosis of skin
    S01.81XALaceration without foreign body of other part of head, initial encounter
    S01.91XALaceration without foreign body of unspecified part of head, initial encounter
    S81.001AUnspecified open wound, right knee, initial encounter
    S81.811ALaceration without foreign body, right lower leg, initial encounter

    Showing 1–10 of 23

    Related Payer Policy Updates

    Specialty: Dermatology1 / 3

    10 rows

    PolicyPayerEffective Date
    Mohs Micrographic Surgerypremerabluecrossofwashington2027-02-05
    Mohs Micrographic Surgerypremerabluecrossofwashington2027-02-05
    Mohs Micrographic Surgerypremerabluecrossofwashington2027-02-05
    FilsuvezCigna2026-11-01
    Destruction of Pre-Malignant Skin LesionsAnthem2026-10-01
    Onychomycosis diagnostic testing and coverageOscar Health2026-10-01
    Treatment of Capillary Malformations (Port Wine Stains)universityofutahhealthplans2026-09-28
    AnzupgoCigna2026-09-15
    Hyperhidrosispriority_health_medicare2026-09-01
    Zevaskyn Coverage for Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis BullosaCigna2026-09-01

    Related Codes

    CPT-15040-SKIN-HARVEST-TISSUE-CULTURED-AUTOGRAFT

    CPT 15040: Harvest of Skin for Tissue Cultured Skin Autograft (≤100 cm2)

    CPT-15050-PINCH-GRAFT-SKIN-GRAFTING-SMALL-DEFECT

    CPT 15050: Pinch Graft, Skin, Up to 2 cm

    CPT-15100-SPLIT-THICKNESS-AUTOGRAFT-TRUNK-ARMS-LEGS

    CPT 15100: Split-Thickness Autograft from Trunk/Arms/Legs

    CPT-15110-EPIDERMAL-AUTOGRAFT-TRUNK-ARMS-LEGS

    CPT 15110: Epidermal Autograft, Trunk/Arms/Legs

    CPT-15111-EPIDERMAL-AUTOGRAFT-TRUNK-ARMS-LEGS-ADDITIONAL

    CPT 15111: Epidermal Autograft, Trunk/Arms/Legs (per 100 cm2)

    CPT-15115-EPIDERMAL-AUTOGRAFT-FACE-AND-SENSITIVE-AREAS

    CPT 15115: Epidermal Autograft for Face/Scalp/Hands/Feet

    CPT-15116-EPIDERMAL-AUTOGRAFT-FACE-SCALP-HANDS-FEET

    CPT 15116: Epidermal Autograft for Face, Hands, Feet, Multiple Digits

    CPT-15120-SPLIT-THICKNESS-AUTOGRAFT-FACE-HANDS-FEET

    CPT 15120: Split‑Thickness Autograft, Face/Scalp (first 100 sq cm)

    CPT-15121-SPLIT-THICKNESS-AUTOGRAFT-ADDITIONAL-100-SQ-CM

    CPT 15121: Split-Thickness Autograft for Face, Scalp, Eyelids, Mouth, Neck, Ears

    CPT-15130-DERMAL-AUTOGRAFT-HARVEST-PLACEMENT-TRUNK-ARMS-LEGS

    CPT 15130: Dermal Autograft Harvest and Placement

    Showing 1–10 of 27

    Frequently Asked Questions

    References

    1. 1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
    2. 2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
    3. 3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.
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