CPT code 17003: Actinic keratosis destruction, lesions 2-14, each additional2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Puerto Rico

In Puerto Rico, Medicare pays $6.40 for 17003 in the office and $1.67 when it’s performed in a hospital or facility.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 17003 nationwide

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

What 17003 covers

This code captures destruction of additional premalignant skin lesions, most commonly actinic keratoses, after the first lesion has been treated in the same session. Dermatologists, primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants usually perform it in the office. Liquid nitrogen cryosurgery is the typical method, though curettage, electrosurgery, chemical destruction, and laser also qualify. Patients with sun-damaged skin on the face, scalp, ears, forearms, and backs of the hands often have several lesions treated at one visit, which is why this is among the highest-volume codes Medicare pays.

Report the first lesion with 17000, then report one unit of 17003 for each additional premalignant lesion from the second through the fourteenth, for a maximum of 13 units. When 15 or more premalignant lesions are treated, use 17004 alone instead of 17000 and 17003. Documentation should state the lesion count, anatomic locations, clinical diagnosis, and destruction method. CMS designates 17003 as an add-on code: it is billed only with its primary procedure and paid within that procedure's global period.

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.

How Puerto Rico compares for 17003

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the office rate for 17003 runs from $5.64 in Arkansas to $8.71 in Santa Clara County, CA. Puerto Rico pays $6.40. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

17003 rates by state

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

See 17003 in every payment locality

How the 17003 rate is calculated

Each of 17003’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 17003

The CMS indicators that decide how 17003 is paid alongside other services.

Codes related to 17003

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

How 17003 has changed in Puerto Rico

Price 17003 for an earlier date of service

Where the Puerto Rico rate applies

Puerto Rico is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 292 cities and communities in Puerto Rico. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Aceitunas
• Adjuntas
• Aguada
• Aguadilla
• Aguas Buenas
• Aguas Claras
• Aguilita
• Aibonito

Browse all communities in Puerto Rico

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