CPT code 11422: Skin lesion excision, scalp, neck, hands, feet, genitalia2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California

Medicare pays $188.69–$234.58 for 11422 in the office in California, from Chico, CA to San Benito County, CA. Which amount applies depends on the service address.

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

What 11422 covers

A clinician removes a benign skin lesion from the scalp, neck, hand, foot, or genital area, taking the lesion and the required surrounding margin. Dermatologists, surgeons, and other qualified clinicians commonly perform this procedure in an office or outpatient setting for lesions such as benign nevi or cysts. The code is selected by the excised diameter, measured across the lesion and its margins, not by the length of the final incision or closure. Simple closure is included; a separately reportable intermediate or complex repair may be coded when performed and documented.

Report this level when the measured excision is 1.1–2.0 cm. Document the lesion’s site, benign indication, dimensions with margins, and the procedure performed. The 10-day global period includes related postoperative visits during that period. When multiple procedures occur in one session, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and reduces the others to 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service; 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 11422 pays more and less in California

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

29 of 29 payment localities

How the 11422 rate is calculated

Each of 11422’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.

Payment rules and modifiers for 11422

11422 has a 10-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

11422 compared with similar codes

How to choose

11421Lesion excisionScalp, neck, hands, feet, genitalia

This is the smaller size level for benign lesions in the same anatomic group: 0.6–1.0 cm rather than 1.1–2.0 cm.

11423Skin excisionScalp, neck, hands, feet, or genitalia

This is the larger size level for benign lesions in the same anatomic group: 2.1–3.0 cm rather than 1.1–2.0 cm.

11402Skin lesion excisionTrunk or extremity, 1.1–2 cm

The size range is the same, but 11402 is for lesions on the trunk, arms, or legs rather than the scalp, neck, hands, feet, or genitalia.

11622Skin lesion excisionDesignated sites, 1.1–2 cm

Use 11622 for a malignant lesion in the same anatomic group and size range; this code is for benign lesions.

Codes related to 11422

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

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

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates