Summary & Overview
CPT 15760: Full-Thickness Skin Graft Harvest and Placement
CPT code 15760 covers excision of a full‑thickness skin graft from a donor site (for example, the external ear or nasal ala) with placement of the graft onto a recipient defect and primary closure of the donor area. This procedure is commonly used in reconstructive and plastic surgery to repair defects after trauma, tumor excision, or congenital deformity and has implications for procedure coding, surgical planning, and payer coverage nationally.
Key payers in this national overview include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. The report summarizes how CPT code 15760 is applied across outpatient and ambulatory surgical settings, typical clinical indications, and payer coverage considerations.
Readers will learn the clinical scope of the code, typical places of service, and operational context relevant to billing and revenue cycle teams. The summary highlights benchmarks and policy-relevant points where available and notes where input data is not provided. Content is intended to clarify the code’s clinical use and administrative handling for national audiences including clinicians, coders, and policy analysts.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 15760 describes an excision of a full-thickness skin graft from a donor site with placement of the graft on a recipient site to cover a defect, followed by closure of the donor area with sutures. The description specifies donor locations such as the external portion of the ear or the nasal ala (the external wing of the nose that includes cartilage).
Service type: Skin graft (full-thickness) harvest and placement, with donor-site closure
Typical site of service: Outpatient surgical setting or ambulatory surgical center; procedures may also occur in hospital outpatient departments depending on clinical context
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is a 58-year-old with a full-thickness nasal defect after excision of a skin cancer on the nasal ala. The reconstructive surgeon harvests a small full-thickness or epidermal skin graft from a donor site such as the external ear (auricle) or nasal sidewall, places the graft onto the recipient nasal defect to restore contour and epithelial coverage, and closes the donor site with sutures. The procedure is usually performed in an outpatient surgical suite, ambulatory surgery center, or office-based procedure room under local anesthesia with or without monitored anesthesia care. Intraoperative workflow includes lesion excision and hemostasis, measurement and preparation of the recipient bed, harvest of the appropriately sized skin graft from the donor site, graft placement and securement (sutures, bolster), and closure of the donor site. Postoperative workflow includes dressing application, wound care instructions, and scheduled follow-up to assess graft viability and donor site healing.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
26 | Professional component | Use when only the physician’s professional component is billed and a separate technical component exists (rare for this procedure). |
50 | Bilateral procedure | Use when identical skin grafting is performed on both sides of a paired structure in the same session. |
51 | Multiple procedures | Use when this grafting is performed in the same operative session with additional distinct procedures. |
52 | Reduced services | Use if the service was partially reduced or not completed as described. |
53 | Discontinued procedure | Use if the graft procedure was started but terminated due to extenuating circumstances. |
59 | Distinct procedural service | Use to indicate a separate and distinct procedure when multiple services might be bundled. |
62 | Two surgeons | Use when two surgeons work together as primary surgeons performing distinct portions of the procedure. |
78 | Unplanned return to the operating room for a related procedure by the same physician | Use for an immediate postoperative return to OR for a complication related to the graft. |
79 | Unrelated procedure or service by the same physician during the postoperative period | Use when an unrelated procedure is performed during the global period. |
LT | Left side | Use to indicate left-side donor or recipient site when laterality is required. |
RT | Right side | Use to indicate right-side donor or recipient site when laterality is required. |
22 | Increased procedural services | Use when work required to perform the graft is substantially greater than typical. |
52 | Reduced services | Use when the operative service is partially reduced or not completed as described. |
80 | Assistant surgeon | Use when a qualified assistant surgeon provides assistance during the grafting procedure. |
| Taxonomy Code | Specialty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 207P00000X | Plastic Surgery | Common specialty performing reconstructive skin grafting for nasal and facial defects. |
| 207L00000X | Otolaryngology (ENT) | Frequently performs grafting for nasal ala and perinasal defects. |
| 207C00000X | Dermatology | Dermatologic surgeons perform graft harvest and placement after skin cancer excision. |
| 208000000X | General Surgery | May perform skin grafting in head and neck reconstructive contexts. |
Related Diagnoses
| ICD-10 Code | Description | Clinical Relevance |
|---|---|---|
C44.3 | Malignant neoplasm of skin of other and unspecified parts of face | Facial skin cancers on the nasal ala or nearby sites often require excision and reconstruction with a graft. |
C44.31 | Basal cell carcinoma of skin of other and unspecified parts of face | Basal cell carcinoma excision can create defects requiring graft coverage. |
C44.32 | Squamous cell carcinoma of skin of other and unspecified parts of face | Squamous cell carcinoma resections on the nasal ala often need reconstructive grafting. |
L98.9 | Disorder of the skin and subcutaneous tissue, unspecified | Represents chronic wounds or defects that may be managed with grafting when specific diagnosis is not captured. |
S01.81XA | Laceration without foreign body of other part of head, initial encounter | Traumatic nasal or auricular defects may be reconstructed with skin grafts. |
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description | Relationship to This Procedure |
|---|---|---|
11400 | Excision, benign lesion including margins, trunk, arms or legs; excised diameter 0.5 cm or less | Often performed prior to grafting when excising benign skin lesions at the recipient site. |
11600 | Excision, malignant lesion including margins, trunk, arms or legs; excised diameter 0.5 cm or less | Used for malignant lesion excision that creates the defect requiring graft coverage. |
15260 | Full-thickness graft, forehead, cheek, eyelid, nose, lip and/or chin; 1.0 cm or less | Alternative full-thickness graft code for small defects on facial subunits; related by technique and site. |
15261 | Full-thickness graft, forehead, cheek, eyelid, nose, lip and/or chin; 1.1 to 2.0 cm | Used for slightly larger full-thickness facial grafts that may be paired with 15760 when donor site differs. |
13160 | Secondary closure of surgical wound or defect; complex closure of scalp, arms, and/or legs; 1.1 cm to 2.5 cm | May be used for complex closure of donor or adjacent wounds when layered closure is required. |