Summary & Overview
CPT 15773: Autologous Fat Graft, 25 cc or Less
CPT code 15773 identifies small-volume autologous fat grafting where fat is harvested by liposuction and injected into another site on the face or select peripheral locations. The code applies when 25 cc or less of harvested fat is injected to fill defects or reshape contours. Nationally, this code is relevant to plastic and reconstructive procedures for cosmetic and reconstructive indications and is used across ambulatory surgical centers, hospital outpatient departments, and office-based procedure settings.
Key payers in the coverage landscape include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of clinical scope and service settings, common billing and coding considerations, and payer coverage patterns for autologous fat grafting at small volumes. The publication summarizes benchmark reimbursement behavior, typical modifier usage and documentation themes where available, and how CPT code 15773 fits alongside related reconstructive and cosmetic procedure codes.
This analysis serves clinicians, billing professionals, and policy analysts seeking a focused national view of CPT code 15773, its clinical application, and the payer context that influences claim processing and payment.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 15773 describes the harvest of autologous fat by liposuction from one body site and injection of that fat into another site on the face, eyelids, mouth, neck, ears, orbits, genitalia, hands, and/or feet to fill defects or reshape contours. This code represents use of 25 cc or less of autologous fat for injection.
Service type: Autologous fat grafting (harvest and injection), small-volume (≤25 cc)
Typical site of service: Ambulatory surgical centers, hospital outpatient departments, and office-based procedure settings for facial and peripheral soft tissue contouring
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 54-year-old female presents to a plastic surgery clinic for correction of facial volume loss after significant weight loss and prior trauma causing soft-tissue contour defects of the midface and periorbital region. The surgeon harvests autologous fat by liposuction from the abdomen under local anesthesia with sedation, processes the aspirate, and injects 25 cc or less of purified fat into the nasolabial folds, malar eminences, and periorbital hollows to restore contours and fill defects. The clinical workflow includes preoperative evaluation and consent, marking of donor and recipient sites, sterile liposuction harvest, fat processing, microinjection into facial layers, immediate postoperative assessment for hemostasis and symmetry, and discharge with wound care and activity restrictions. Typical monitoring includes vital signs, assessment for hematoma or irregularities, and follow-up visits to evaluate graft take and need for staged additional augmentation.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
11 | Normal services | Use when this procedure is performed under routine circumstances without complications. |
22 | Increased procedural services | Report when work or time substantially exceeds typical for 15773 due to complexity. |
23 | Unusual anesthesia | Use if general anesthesia is required and not normally used for 15773. |
50 | Bilateral procedure | Use if identical fat grafting is performed to both sides of a paired anatomic region when payer requires bilateral modifier. |
51 | Multiple procedures | Use when 15773 is billed the same day with additional distinct procedures; some payers require 51 on secondary procedures. |
52 | Reduced services | Use when the procedure is started but discontinued or performed to a lesser extent. |
53 | Discontinued procedure | Use when the procedure is terminated after initiation for reasons outside the provider’s control. |
59 | Distinct procedural service | Use when another procedure performed same day is separate and distinct from fat grafting, to indicate different surgical site or session. |
62 | Two surgeons | Use when two surgeons work together as primary surgeons for a complex reconstruction involving fat grafting. |
76 | Repeat procedure by same physician | Use when the same provider repeats 15773 later the same day. |
77 | Repeat procedure by another physician | Use when another provider repeats the procedure later the same day. |
78 | Return to operating room for related procedure during postoperative period | Use if patient requires a return to OR for revision or complication of the fat grafting. |
79 | Unrelated procedure or service by the same physician during the postoperative period | Use when an unrelated procedure is performed during global period. |
LT | Left side | Use to designate procedures performed on the left side when laterality reporting is required. |
| Taxonomy Code | Specialty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 208600000X | Plastic Surgery | Primary specialty performing autologous facial fat grafting and contour procedures. |
| 207P00000X | Dermatology | Dermatologic surgeons perform soft-tissue facial augmentation and reconstructive grafting. |
| 364S00000X | Cosmetic Surgery | Surgeons focused on aesthetic procedures performing fat harvesting and injection. |
Related Diagnoses
| ICD-10 Code | Description | Clinical Relevance |
|---|---|---|
M22.2 | Recurrent dislocation of patella | Data not available in the input. |
L70.0 | Acne vulgaris | Data not available in the input. |
L90.5 | Scar conditions and fibrosis of skin | Data not available in the input. |
S01.81XA | Laceration without foreign body of other part of head, initial encounter | Data not available in the input. |
R23.1 | Pallor and cyanosis of skin | Data not available in the input. |
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description | Relationship to This Procedure |
|---|---|---|
15774 | Fascia and/or fat graft, major (greater than 25 cc) | Used when more than 25 cc of autologous fat is injected; larger-volume counterpart to 15773. |
15830 | Revision of nose, external; minor | May be performed in the same operative session for contour adjustments when rhinoplasty or nasal contour issues accompany facial grafting. |
20926 | Tissue grafts, other (e.g., fat grafting) | Code sometimes used for larger or alternative graft descriptions in reconstructive settings; relates to autologous grafting techniques. |
12020 | Surgical repair of superficial wound dehiscence; simple closure | May be performed for small donor-site or injection-site wound closures related to harvest or injection sites. |
99152 | Moderate sedation services provided by the same physician performing the procedure, initial 15 minutes | When moderate sedation is administered by the proceduralist during liposuction harvest and injections, sedation service codes may be reported per payer rules. |