CPT code 17000: Premalignant lesion destruction, first lesion2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $66.47 for 17000 nationally in the office and $47.76 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $59.19–$87.49.

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

What 17000 covers

This service covers destroying one premalignant skin lesion, classically an actinic keratosis on sun-exposed skin such as the face, scalp, ears, or dorsal hands. Destruction methods include liquid nitrogen cryosurgery, curettage, electrosurgery, chemical application, and laser. Dermatologists, primary care physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners perform it, usually in the office. Medicare recorded over six million office services in 2024.

Report one unit for the first lesion. Add 17003 for each additional lesion from the second through the fourteenth. When 15 or more lesions are treated, report 17004 alone instead. Documentation should state the lesion count, anatomic locations, diagnosis, and method. The procedure has a 10-day global period, so related postoperative visits during that period are included. Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued eligible procedure is paid in full and other eligible procedures at 50% when performed in the same session. Do not use modifier 50. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted, and 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 17000 pays more and less

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

109 of 109 payment localities

17000 rates by state

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

How the 17000 rate is calculated

Each of 17000’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 17000

17000 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

17000 compared with similar codes

How to choose

17003Actinic keratosis destructionLesions 2-14, each additional

This code covers only the first premalignant lesion; 17003 is the add-on counted per lesion for the second through fourteenth.

17004Premalignant lesion destruction15 or more lesions

Use 17004 as a single service when 15 or more lesions are treated; it is never combined with this code or 17003.

17110Benign lesion destructionUp to 14 lesions

17110 is for benign lesions like common warts or molluscum; premalignant lesions such as actinic keratoses use this code.

17260Skin lesion destructionTrunk, arms, legs, 0.5 cm or less

Codes in the 17260–17286 range are for destroying malignant lesions, selected by site and diameter, rather than premalignant lesions counted individually.

Codes related to 17000

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