2025 CPT code 15151
(Active) Effective Date: N/A Revision Date: N/A Surgery - Surgical Procedures Integumentary System Feed
Additional tissue-cultured epidermal autograft for trunk, arms, or legs; each additional 1 sq cm to 75 sq cm.
Modifiers may be applicable depending on the circumstances of the procedure, such as modifier 59 for a distinct procedural service, if additional unrelated work is done in the same session.Always consult the CPT manual and payer-specific guidelines for modifier use.
Medical necessity is established by the presence of a full or partial-thickness wound or burn that requires a tissue-cultured epidermal autograft for optimal healing and prevention of complications such as infection or contractures. The extent of the wound or burn must justify the use of both CPT code 15150 and 15151, based on size and clinical situation.
The clinical responsibility lies with a surgeon or physician qualified to perform skin grafting procedures. This includes pre-operative assessment, surgical preparation, graft application, and post-operative care.
In simple words: This code describes adding more of a special type of skin graft (grown in a lab from the patient's own skin) to cover a wound or burn on the body (trunk, arms, or legs).It's only used if a larger area needs covering than what's covered by another code (15150).
This CPT code, 15151, represents the application of additional tissue-cultured epidermal autograft to areas on the trunk, arms, or legs.It's an add-on code, meaning it must be used in conjunction with CPT code 15150 (initial 25 sq cm). This code is reported for each additional 1 sq cm up to a total of 75 sq cm of grafted skin beyond the initial 25 sq cm covered by 15150. The procedure involves the application of a previously harvested and cultured autograft onto a prepared wound or burn site.The technique of securing the graft (sutures, staples, etc.) is included. Harvesting of the autograft is reported separately using CPT code 15040.
Example 1: A patient sustains a large burn on their thigh requiring tissue-cultured epidermal autograft.The initial 25 sq cm is covered by 15150.An additional 50 sq cm requires coverage with 15151 (reported five times)., A patient undergoes a debridement and split thickness skin grafting to the trunk and arms for a burn injury.15150 and 15151 (multiple times) are used to report the total size of the tissue-cultured epidermal autograft., A patient with a chronic wound on their lower leg undergoes preparation, surgical removal of necrotic tissue, and tissue cultured epidermal autograft (using both 15150 and 15151 as appropriate). The graft is secured with sutures and the patient is given post-operative instructions.
Detailed documentation should include:
** This add-on code should only be reported once per session, even if multiple additional 1 sq cm increments are applied. Always refer to the most up-to-date CPT manual for accurate coding and billing practices.
- Revenue Code: P1G
- RVU: Information not available in provided text.Refer to CMS guidelines or a medical billing software for RVU data.
- Global Days : Not applicable; this is an add-on code for a skin grafting procedure.
- Payment Status: Active
- Modifier TC rule: No Technical Component (TC) modifier applies to this code because this is an add-on code used in conjunction with the primary procedure 15150.
- Fee Schedule : Fee schedule information is not provided and varies by payer and location.Consult fee schedules or billing software for historical data.
- Specialties:Plastic Surgery, Burns Surgery
- Place of Service:Office, Outpatient Hospital, Ambulatory Surgical Center