CPT code 17271: Lesion destruction, scalp, neck, hand, foot, genitalia; 0.6–1 cm2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Alabama

In Alabama, Medicare pays $146.75 for 17271 in the office and $82.75 when it’s performed in a hospital or facility.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 17271 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 17271 covers

Code 17271 covers destructive treatment of a malignant cutaneous lesion measuring 0.6–1.0 cm at the scalp, neck, hand, foot, or genitalia. Dermatologists and other qualified physicians may use methods such as electrodesiccation and curettage, cryotherapy, laser, or chemical destruction in an office or facility setting. The service is destruction rather than surgical excision with specimen removal; basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas are common examples when destructive treatment is clinically appropriate.

Choose the code by the documented lesion diameter and anatomic group, not by the treatment method. Record the lesion’s location, measurement, malignant diagnosis, and technique. For multiple procedures in one session, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and reduces the others to 50%. The 10-day global period includes related postoperative visits during those 10 days. Modifier 50 is inappropriate because the service is defined by lesion site and size, rather than as bilateral treatment. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery; 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.

How Alabama compares for 17271

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the office rate for 17271 runs from $144.78 in Arkansas to $212.90 in San Benito County, CA. Alabama pays $146.75. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

17271 rates by state

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

See 17271 in every payment locality

How the 17271 rate is calculated

Each of 17271’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 17271

17271 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

Codes related to 17271

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

How 17271 has changed in Alabama

Price 17271 for an earlier date of service

Where the Alabama rate applies

Alabama is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 595 cities and communities in Alabama. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Abanda
• Abbeville
• Adamsville
• Addison
• Akron
• Alabaster
• Albertville
• Alexander City

Browse all communities in Alabama

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