Summary & Overview
CPT 15130: Dermal Autograft Harvest and Placement, Trunk/Arms/Legs
Headline: CPT code 15130: Dermal autograft harvest and placement for trunk, arms, or legs
CPT code 15130 represents the harvesting and placement of a dermal autograft from the trunk, arms, or legs, covering the first 100 cm² in adults or 1 percent of body surface area in infants and children. This surgical procedure is used in reconstruction following trauma, burn care, or excision of lesions where dermal tissue is needed to support wound healing. Nationally, clarity on coding and coverage for autograft sizing matters for surgical billing, claims adjudication, and network plan benefits.
Key payers in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of what CPT code 15130 denotes, payer coverage context, and the clinical scenarios in which the code is commonly reported. The publication outlines expected benchmarks for the billed unit (first 100 cm² or 1% BSA), discusses common billing modifiers used with surgical graft procedures, and provides clinical context for typical sites of service and procedural intent.
This document is intended for a national audience of coding professionals, surgical providers, and hospital billing staff seeking a clear, policy-focused summary of CPT code 15130, including coding scope, common use cases, and areas to review during claims submission and coverage verification.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 15130 describes the harvesting and placement of a dermal autograft taken from the trunk, arms, or legs. The code covers the initial harvested and placed graft area up to 100 cm² for an adult or 1 percent of body surface area for an infant or child. This service involves surgical removal of dermal tissue from a donor site on the patient and immediate placement of that autograft at a recipient site.
Service type: Dermal autograft harvest and placement
Typical site of service: Operating room or outpatient surgical suite, with donor sites commonly located on the trunk, arms, or legs.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is an adult with a full-thickness or deep partial-thickness skin defect on a limb or trunk after trauma, tumor resection, or non-healing wound. The patient presents to a hospital operating suite or ambulatory surgical center for surgical excision/ debridement of damaged tissue followed by harvest and placement of a dermal autograft from a donor site on the trunk, arm, or leg. The clinical workflow includes preoperative evaluation and consent, intraoperative wound assessment and preparation, harvest of a dermal graft (area up to 100 cm2 for an adult), placement and fixation of the graft to the recipient site, application of dressings or negative-pressure therapy as indicated, and postoperative monitoring with planned dressing changes and follow-up visits for graft take and donor-site care. Typical anesthesia options include local with sedation or general anesthesia depending on size and location. The procedure is billed using 15130 for the first 100 cm2 (or 1% BSA in a child).
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
22 | Increased procedural services | Use when work, time, technical difficulty, or risk of the graft harvest/placement substantially exceeds typical for 15130. |
52 | Reduced services | Use when the dermal autograft procedure is partially reduced or not completed as planned. |
53 | Discontinue procedure | Use when the procedure is started but terminated due to extenuating circumstances. |
78 | Return to OR for related procedure during global period | Use if patient returns to the operating room for a complication related to the graft within the global period. |
79 | Unrelated procedure or service during global period | Use when an unrelated procedure is performed during the global period (note: not in provided modifier list; excluded). |
76 | Repeat procedure by same physician | Use if the same procedure 15130 is repeated by the same provider on the same day (note: not in provided modifier list; excluded). |
63 | Procedure performed on infants less than 4 kg | Use when 15130 is performed on an infant meeting the weight criterion. |
62 | Two surgeons | Use when two surgeons work together as primary surgeons for the same operative session for the graft. |
50 | Bilateral procedure | Use when identical dermal autograft procedures are performed bilaterally and payer requires bilateral modifier (rare for unilateral grafts). |
26 | Professional component | Use when reporting only the professional component of a service that has separate technical and professional components (rare application for this surgical code). |
59 | Distinct procedural service | Use to indicate a distinct procedural service separate from other procedures on the same day (note: not in provided modifier list; excluded). |
52 | Reduced services | Duplicate row avoided; already listed above. |
| Taxonomy Code | Specialty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 208100000X | Plastic Surgery | Plastic and reconstructive surgeons commonly perform dermal autograft harvest and placement. |
| 207ZP0102X | General Surgery | General surgeons may perform grafting in trauma or oncologic resections. |
| 207L00000X | Dermatology | Dermatologic surgeons perform grafting for skin cancer or complex wounds. |
| 225100000X | Podiatry | Podiatric surgeons may perform dermal grafts for foot and ankle wounds. |
| 208000000X | Otolaryngology | Head and neck surgeons may perform donor or recipient site grafting in selected cases. |
Related Diagnoses
| ICD-10 Code | Description | Clinical Relevance |
|---|---|---|
S81.101A | Unspecified open wound, right knee, initial encounter | Traumatic open wounds requiring debridement and dermal grafting on the leg. |
S81.102A | Unspecified open wound, left knee, initial encounter | As above for the contralateral limb. |
T86.890 | Other specified complications of transplanted organs and tissues | May apply to graft complications when coding for postoperative issues (used cautiously). |
L89.309 | Pressure ulcer of unspecified stage, buttock, unspecified side | Chronic wounds such as pressure ulcers may require dermal autograft coverage. |
C44.311 | Squamous cell carcinoma of skin of right lower limb, including hip | Oncologic resections may necessitate dermal grafting for reconstruction. |
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description | Relationship to This Procedure |
|---|---|---|
11043 | Debridement, muscle and/or fascia (first 20 sq cm or less) | Often performed immediately before 15130 to prepare the wound bed for graft placement in traumatic or infected wounds. |
15240 | Full-thickness graft, trunk, arms, legs; first 45 sq cm or less, or 1% BSA of infants/children | Alternative autograft technique; may be performed in lieu of or in combination with dermal autograft depending on wound depth and reconstruction needs. |
20926 | Tissue grafts; fascial graft (includes obtaining graft) | May be used when deeper structural grafting is required in addition to dermal grafting for reconstruction. |
97605 | Negative-pressure wound treatment (e.g., vacuum-assisted) for open wounds, intermittent application, simple | May be used adjunctively postoperatively to bolster graft adherence or manage exudate. |
99223 | Initial hospital care, per day, comprehensive (high complexity) | Used for preoperative admission evaluation for complex patients undergoing grafting in an inpatient setting. |