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CPT 15769: Autologous Soft-Tissue Harvest and Transfer
CPT code 15769 represents intraoperative autologous soft-tissue harvest and transfer, in which a provider excises fat, dermis, fascia, or other tissue and uses it to fill a defect elsewhere on the same patient during the same operative session. This reconstructive technique is used across surgical specialties for defect repair, contour restoration, and wound coverage, and it has implications for operative planning, documentation, and payer adjudication on a national scale.
Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of the clinical context for 15769, common billing considerations, and benchmarking information where available. The publication summarizes reimbursement patterns, common modifiers encountered, typical sites of service, and policy updates that affect coding and coverage for autologous soft-tissue transfer procedures.
The article is structured to help clinicians, coding professionals, and policy analysts quickly understand what 15769 represents, which payers have established positions, and where variability typically arises in claims processing. Data not available in the input is identified as such in relevant sections.
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Billing Code Overview
CPT code 15769 describes the excision (harvesting) of fat, dermis, fascia, or other soft tissue that is then used to fill a defect elsewhere on the same patient during the same operative session. This procedure is a form of autologous soft-tissue reconstruction where tissue is relocated intraoperatively to repair or augment a defect.
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Service type: Autologous soft-tissue harvest and transfer for defect reconstruction
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Typical site of service: Operating room (inpatient or outpatient surgical setting) for reconstructive procedures