Medicare Reimbursement for CPT 15836

CPT code 15836 identifies a specific surgical procedure recognized by Medicare for payment purposes; the full procedure description is defined by the American Medical Association and is not reproduced here. This page shows the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) allowed amount for 2026, both at the national level and adjusted for your locality, with separate figures for non-facility (e.g., office) and facility (e.g., hospital) settings.

Medicare allowed amount (2026)

Locality	Non-facility	Facility
National (unadjusted)	$728.81	$728.81
ALASKA* (AK)	$893.45	$893.45
ALABAMA (AL)	$661.06	$661.06
ARKANSAS (AR)	$652.68	$652.68
ARIZONA (AZ)	$709.67	$709.67
SAN FRANCISCO-OAKLAND-BERKELEY (SAN FRANCISCO/SAN MATEO/ALAMEDA/CONTRA COSTA CNTY) (CA)	$855.66	$855.66
SAN JOSE-SUNNYVALE-SANTA CLARA (SANTA CLARA CNTY) (CA)	$869.26	$869.26
OXNARD-THOUSAND OAKS-VENTURA (CA)	$772.42	$772.42
LOS ANGELES-LONG BEACH-ANAHEIM (LOS ANGELES/ORANGE CNTY) (CA)	$779.85	$779.85
NAPA (CA)	$820.56	$820.56
SAN FRANCISCO-OAKLAND-BERKELEY (MARIN CNTY) (CA)	$857.84	$857.84
VALLEJO (CA)	$817.41	$817.41
BAKERSFIELD (CA)	$740.95	$740.95
CHICO (CA)	$735.58	$735.58
FRESNO (CA)	$735.58	$735.58
HANFORD-CORCORAN (CA)	$735.58	$735.58
MADERA (CA)	$735.58	$735.58
MERCED (CA)	$735.58	$735.58
MODESTO (CA)	$735.58	$735.58
REDDING (CA)	$735.58	$735.58
RIVERSIDE-SAN BERNARDINO-ONTARIO (CA)	$756.25	$756.25
SACRAMENTO-ROSEVILLE-FOLSOM (CA)	$763.53	$763.53
SALINAS (CA)	$760.53	$760.53
SAN JOSE-SUNNYVALE-SANTA CLARA (SAN BENITO CNTY) (CA)	$878.18	$878.18
SANTA CRUZ-WATSONVILLE (CA)	$774.96	$774.96
SANTA ROSA-PETALUMA (CA)	$782.22	$782.22
STOCKTON (CA)	$735.58	$735.58
VISALIA (CA)	$735.58	$735.58
YUBA CITY (CA)	$735.58	$735.58
EL CENTRO (CA)	$735.90	$735.90
SAN DIEGO-CHULA VISTA-CARLSBAD (CA)	$772.38	$772.38
SAN LUIS OBISPO-PASO ROBLES (CA)	$749.31	$749.31
SANTA MARIA-SANTA BARBARA (CA)	$761.73	$761.73
REST OF CALIFORNIA (CA)	$735.58	$735.58
COLORADO (CO)	$739.34	$739.34
CONNECTICUT (CT)	$773.77	$773.77
DC + MD/VA SUBURBS (DC)	$811.54	$811.54
DELAWARE (DE)	$720.23	$720.23
FORT LAUDERDALE (FL)	$784.78	$784.78
MIAMI (FL)	$839.95	$839.95
REST OF FLORIDA (FL)	$747.02	$747.02
ATLANTA (GA)	$747.84	$747.84
REST OF GEORGIA (GA)	$706.63	$706.63
HAWAII, GUAM (HI)	$745.55	$745.55
IOWA (IA)	$663.00	$663.00
IDAHO (ID)	$669.47	$669.47
EAST ST. LOUIS (IL)	$768.29	$768.29
SUBURBAN CHICAGO (IL)	$789.35	$789.35
CHICAGO (IL)	$815.87	$815.87
REST OF ILLINOIS (IL)	$737.13	$737.13
INDIANA (IN)	$672.54	$672.54
KANSAS (KS)	$666.35	$666.35
KENTUCKY (KY)	$687.91	$687.91
NEW ORLEANS (LA)	$718.69	$718.69
REST OF LOUISIANA (LA)	$689.39	$689.39
METROPOLITAN BOSTON (MA)	$797.86	$797.86
REST OF MASSACHUSETTS (MA)	$738.24	$738.24
BALTIMORE/SURR. CNTYS (MD)	$772.84	$772.84
REST OF MARYLAND (MD)	$730.83	$730.83
SOUTHERN MAINE (ME)	$702.27	$702.27
REST OF MAINE (ME)	$679.02	$679.02
DETROIT (MI)	$761.62	$761.62
REST OF MICHIGAN (MI)	$709.30	$709.30
MINNESOTA (MN)	$692.92	$692.92
METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS (MO)	$713.61	$713.61
METROPOLITAN KANSAS CITY (MO)	$707.85	$707.85
REST OF MISSOURI (MO)	$683.08	$683.08
MISSISSIPPI (MS)	$667.69	$667.69
MONTANA** (MT)	$728.68	$728.68
NORTH CAROLINA (NC)	$684.26	$684.26
NORTH DAKOTA** (ND)	$690.71	$690.71
NEBRASKA (NE)	$664.33	$664.33
NEW HAMPSHIRE (NH)	$733.88	$733.88
NORTHERN NJ (NJ)	$806.02	$806.02
REST OF NEW JERSEY (NJ)	$778.22	$778.22
NEW MEXICO (NM)	$715.19	$715.19
NEVADA** (NV)	$718.42	$718.42
MANHATTAN (NY)	$840.22	$840.22
NYC SUBURBS/LONG ISLAND (NY)	$866.22	$866.22
POUGHKPSIE/N NYC SUBURBS (NY)	$788.15	$788.15
QUEENS (NY)	$837.37	$837.37
REST OF NEW YORK (NY)	$693.80	$693.80
OHIO (OH)	$701.54	$701.54
OKLAHOMA (OK)	$680.34	$680.34
PORTLAND (OR)	$753.36	$753.36
REST OF OREGON (OR)	$708.48	$708.48
METROPOLITAN PHILADELPHIA (PA)	$760.49	$760.49
REST OF PENNSYLVANIA (PA)	$699.10	$699.10
PUERTO RICO (PR)	$731.36	$731.36
RHODE ISLAND (RI)	$738.98	$738.98
SOUTH CAROLINA (SC)	$694.92	$694.92
SOUTH DAKOTA** (SD)	$686.23	$686.23
TENNESSEE (TN)	$670.06	$670.06
BRAZORIA (TX)	$714.59	$714.59
DALLAS (TX)	$721.53	$721.53
GALVESTON (TX)	$718.31	$718.31
HOUSTON (TX)	$753.45	$753.45
BEAUMONT (TX)	$695.52	$695.52
FORT WORTH (TX)	$719.17	$719.17
AUSTIN (TX)	$740.71	$740.71
REST OF TEXAS (TX)	$706.30	$706.30
UTAH (UT)	$703.11	$703.11
VIRGINIA (VA)	$704.53	$704.53
VIRGIN ISLANDS (VI)	$731.36	$731.36
VERMONT (VT)	$693.93	$693.93
SEATTLE (KING CNTY) (WA)	$806.82	$806.82
REST OF WASHINGTON (WA)	$734.89	$734.89
WISCONSIN (WI)	$671.02	$671.02
WEST VIRGINIA (WV)	$714.62	$714.62
WYOMING** (WY)	$712.13	$712.13

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Maximum units per day (MUE)

Medicare’s Medically Unlikely Edit caps this code at 1 unit per patient per day — Date of Service Edit: Policy. Units above the MUE are denied; some MUEs can be exceeded only with appropriate documentation and modifiers where policy allows.

How the amount is calculated

Medicare payment for each code is built from three Relative Value Units (RVUs): physician work, practice expense, and malpractice risk. Each RVU component is adjusted by Geographic Practice Cost Indices (GPCIs) specific to the locality where the service is furnished, accounting for regional cost differences. The adjusted RVUs are summed and multiplied by the annual Medicare conversion factor to produce the allowed amount. Practice expense RVUs differ depending on whether the service is reported in a non-facility (e.g., physician office) or facility (e.g., hospital, ASC) setting, which can change the total payment even when the work and malpractice RVUs stay the same.

RVUs — work 10.34, practice expense 9.56 (non-facility) / 9.56 (facility), malpractice 1.92 — × the locality GPCIs × the 2026 conversion factor of $33.40.

Good to know

This is an estimate only, not a guarantee of payment.
Medicare typically pays 80% of the allowed amount after the patient meets their Part B deductible; the patient or secondary insurer is responsible for the remainder.
Modifiers, multiple-procedure reductions, bilateral rules, and other claim-specific adjustments can change the final paid amount.
Annual budget-neutrality adjustments and sequestration may further reduce actual payment.
Locality-specific GPCIs mean actual payment can differ from the national average shown here.
Always confirm final allowed amounts with your Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) before billing or financial counseling.

Frequently asked

Why is the facility amount the same as the non-facility amount for this code?

For some codes, CMS sets the same practice expense RVU value for both facility and non-facility settings, which results in equal allowed amounts. This varies by code and can change from year to year.

Why does the Medicare fee for this code vary by location?

The RVUs for work, practice expense, and malpractice are each adjusted by locality-specific GPCIs before being converted to a dollar amount, so the same code can pay differently depending on where the service is performed.

Does this amount reflect what Medicare will actually pay?

No. It reflects the PFS allowed amount before the 80/20 split, deductible, modifiers, or sequestration are applied — actual reimbursement may be lower.

Where can I find the official CPT descriptor for this code?

CPT code descriptors are copyrighted by the American Medical Association. Check your CPT codebook, encoder software, or AMA resources for the full descriptive language.

More free billing tools: all Medicare fees · fee calculator · denial code decoder

Estimated Medicare Physician Fee Schedule amount. Medicare generally pays 80% after the deductible; actual amounts vary by locality, modifiers, sequestration, and annual updates. Verify with your MAC.