CPT code 11310: Shave removal, face, 0.5 cm or smaller2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports tangential removal of a skin lesion measuring 0.5 cm or less on the face and specified adjacent sites, such as the nose or lips.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities56.5K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $111.56 for 11310 nationally in the office and $36.41 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $98.70–$150.10.

Medicare rate · 11310

Shave removal, face, 0.5 cm or smaller

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
0.78
Total RVUs
3.34
Global days
000

National rate · 2026

$111.56

Office setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 11310 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 11310 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 11310 covers

A clinician removes a small skin lesion by shaving it tangentially from the epidermal or dermal surface. This code is for lesions on the face, ears, eyelids, nose, lips, or mucous membrane, including a raised lesion such as a seborrheic keratosis or nevus. Dermatologists commonly perform the service in an office; other qualified clinicians may perform it in office or facility settings. Tissue may be sent for histopathology when indicated.

Select the code using the lesion’s documented size and anatomic site; this code is for a lesion measuring 0.5 cm or less at one of the specified sites. Record the exact site, lesion measurement, and removal technique. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.

Where 11310 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 payment localities

$98.70 to $150.10

$98.70$124.40$150.10
One dot per payment locality, office / nonfacility. Hover a dot to see the locality; select it to open that rate.

109 of 109 payment localities

11310 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
Alabama$100.15$34.39
Alaska$128.94$48.90
Arizona$108.64$35.82
Arkansas$98.70$34.14
Atlanta, GA$113.44$37.08
Austin, TX$116.17$36.66
Bakersfield, CA$119.12$36.76
Baltimore area, MD$118.60$37.96
Beaumont, TX$103.91$35.52
Brazoria, TX$110.50$36.03

11310 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

Explore a state

Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

$98.70

$134.50

Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.

View every state and territory as a table
11310 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AK$128.941
AL$100.151
AR$98.701
AZ$108.641
CA$118.90–$150.1029
CO$116.681
CT$118.981
DC$128.031
DE$110.461
FL$109.08–$118.543
GA$103.03–$113.442
GU$121.971
HI$121.971
IA$103.081
ID$103.671
IL$105.64–$115.794
IN$104.291
KS$102.421
KY$102.131
LA$101.90–$106.972
MA$115.91–$128.502
MD$112.63–$128.033
ME$104.02–$109.952
MI$104.62–$110.252
MN$112.321
MO$100.02–$107.573
MS$99.391
MT$111.551
NC$105.141
ND$110.171
NE$103.701
NH$114.681
NJ$120.48–$126.672
NM$105.131
NV$111.251
NY$106.71–$130.955
OH$104.341
OK$102.141
OR$110.53–$120.612
PA$104.61–$115.892
PR$112.441
RI$114.551
SC$104.891
SD$110.011
TN$102.911
TX$103.91–$116.178
UT$106.331
VA$109.46–$128.032
VI$112.441
VT$109.571
WA$115.75–$131.312
WI$106.451
WV$101.671
WY$110.951

How the 11310 rate is calculated

Each of 11310’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

How the rate is built · 11310

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work0.78

0.78 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense2.49

2.49 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice0.07

0.07 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

3.3400

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$111.56

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 11310

The CMS indicators that decide how 11310 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 11310

Shave removal, face, 0.5 cm or smaller

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period000Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)9The concept doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)0Not paid without supporting documentation.
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

11310 without 51 · national office

$111.56

Shave removal, face, 0.5 cm or smaller

11310-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$55.78

When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).

When to use modifier 51

11310 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 11310

    Shave removal, face, 0.5 cm or smaller0.78 wRVU

    $111.56

  • 11300

    Shave removal, trunk or extremity, 0.5 cm or less0.59 wRVU

    $96.53−$15.03

  • 11305

    Shave removal, scalp, neck, hands, feet, genitalia0.78 wRVU

    $101.20−$10.36

  • 11311

    Shave removal, face and related sites, 0.6–1.0 cm1.07 wRVU

    $132.27+$20.71

  • 11440

    Lesion excision, face, 0.5 cm or less1.02 wRVU

    $141.95+$30.39

How to choose

11300Shave removalTrunk or extremity, 0.5 cm or less
Both cover shave removal of a lesion 0.5 cm or less; 11300 is for the trunk, arms, or legs, while 11310 is for specified facial and adjacent sites.
11305Shave removalScalp, neck, hands, feet, genitalia
Both cover shave removal of a lesion 0.5 cm or less. 11305 applies to the scalp, neck, hands, feet, or genitalia rather than the sites assigned to 11310.
11311Shave removalFace and related sites, 0.6–1.0 cm
11311 applies to lesions measuring 0.6 to 1.0 cm at the sites covered by 11310; 11310 is for lesions 0.5 cm or less.
11440Lesion excisionFace, 0.5 cm or less
11440 reports excision of a small benign lesion at facial sites, whereas 11310 reports tangential shave removal. The removal method and depth distinguish the services.

11310 billing questions

How does this differ from 11300 or 11305?

Those codes cover the same small size range at different anatomic sites. Use 11310 for the face, ears, eyelids, nose, lips, or mucous membrane.

When should 11311 be used instead?

Use 11311 for a shave-removed lesion at the same specified sites when it measures 0.6 to 1.0 cm. The size documented for the lesion determines the size level.

Is a shave removal the same as a tangential skin biopsy?

No. 11310 reports removal of a small lesion; 11102 is the tangential biopsy code when the service is a biopsy of a single lesion.

How should multiple lesions removed in one session be reported?

Document each lesion’s site and size and report the services separately as appropriate. The CMS multiple-procedure reduction applies when procedures are performed in the same session.

Does the 0-day global period include a later pathology visit?

The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. It does not define a later pathology-related service as part of the same-day care.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted for this code.

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
RVUs for 11310PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 1,301 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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