2026 Medical Coding Changes for Dermatology: What Your Practice Needs to Know

Key takeaways ICD-10-CM L-Code Expansion: The addition of 116 new codes demands greater clinical specificity, particularly for documenting the severity of nonpressure chronic ulcers. Skin Substitute Payment Overhaul: CMS replaced the ASP+6% methodology with a single national rate of approximately $127.28 per square centimeter, categorized by FDA regulatory status. Superficial Radiation Therapy (SRT) Updates: CPT code 77401 has been deleted and replaced with a new surface radiation therapy code family (77436–77439).