2025 CPT code 14020
(Active) Effective Date: N/A Revision Date: N/A Surgery - Integumentary System Procedures Surgery Feed
Adjacent tissue transfer or rearrangement of the scalp, arms, and/or legs; defect 10 sq cm or less.
Modifiers may be applicable depending on the circumstances of the procedure. Consult the CPT manual and your payer's guidelines.
Medical necessity for this procedure is established when the wound is significant enough to require tissue transfer for optimal healing.The procedure is indicated to improve cosmetic outcome, restore function, and reduce the risk of infection or complications.
The physician or qualified healthcare professional is responsible for assessing the patient, determining the need for the procedure, performing the adjacent tissue transfer or rearrangement, and providing appropriate postoperative care. This includes preparation of the recipient and donor sites, precise tissue transfer, meticulous wound closure, and hemostasis.
In simple words: The doctor moves a piece of healthy skin from a nearby area to repair a damaged area on the scalp, arms, or legs. This is only used for small damaged areas (10 square centimeters or less).
This CPT code encompasses the surgical procedure involving the relocation of a healthy tissue flap from a nearby donor site to an adjacent area on the scalp, arms, and/or legs requiring repair.The procedure includes the excision of the healthy tissue, its transplantation to the defect site, and the closure of incisions with sutures. This specific code is applicable only when the combined area of the primary and secondary defects is 10 square centimeters or less. Various techniques like Z-plasty, W-plasty, V-Y plasty, rotation flaps, advancement flaps, or other methods may be employed.The excision of a benign or malignant lesion is not separately reportable with this code; it's considered part of the adjacent tissue transfer procedure.
Example 1: A patient presents with a 5 cm laceration on their left arm following a motor vehicle accident. The surgeon performs an adjacent tissue transfer, creating a 3 cm secondary defect.Code 14020 is used because the combined area of the primary and secondary defect is less than 10 cm2., A patient has a 7cm2 scalp wound from a fall resulting in a laceration that requires repair by adjacent tissue transfer, requiring a 2 cm secondary defect.The combined defect area (9cm2) qualifies for code 14020., A patient with a 9cm2 laceration on their leg from a dog bite undergoes an adjacent tissue transfer procedure. The secondary defect is minimal (1cm2). The combined defect area of 10 cm2 allows use of code 14020.
** Always refer to the most current CPT guidelines and your payer's specific policies for accurate coding and reimbursement.
- Revenue Code: P5A (Ambulatory Procedures - Skin)
- RVU: The relative value units (RVUs) for this code will vary based on geographic location, facility type, and other factors.Consult your local fee schedule for current values.
- Global Days : The global period for this procedure is not specified in the provided data. Refer to your payer's specific guidelines.
- Payment Status: Active
- Modifier TC rule: Technical Component (TC) modifier is not applicable to this code.
- Fee Schedule : Historical fee schedule data is not available in the provided sources.Consult your local fee schedule for historical reimbursement information.
- Specialties:Plastic Surgery, General Surgery
- Place of Service:Office, Ambulatory Surgical Center, Hospital Outpatient