CPT code 17312: Mohs surgery, additional stage, specified sites2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports an additional Mohs surgery stage for a lesion on the head, neck, hands, feet, or genitalia when microscopic examination shows tumor remains.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities505.2K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $402.81 for 17312 nationally in the office and $152.98 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $357.39–$535.17.

Medicare rate · 17312

Mohs surgery, additional stage, specified sites

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
3.22
Total RVUs
12.06
Global days
ZZZ

National rate · 2026

$402.81

Office setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 17312 →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 17312 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 17312 covers

A Mohs surgeon, commonly a dermatologist, removes and maps another thin layer of tissue after the initial stage. The tissue is processed and examined microscopically so the surgeon can identify whether tumor remains at the margins and whether another stage is needed. Code 17312 is for an additional stage at the head, neck, hands, feet, or genitalia; the first stage is reported separately with the appropriate primary Mohs code. Mohs is commonly performed in an office surgical setting.

Report 17312 for each additional stage after the first, rather than for each tissue block within a stage. The operative record should identify the lesion and site, the stage sequence, tissue mapping and microscopic findings, and the reason another layer was taken. A stage may include up to five tissue blocks; additional blocks are addressed with 17315. As an add-on code, 17312 is billed only with a primary procedure and is 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.

Where 17312 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

$357.39 to $535.17

$357.39$446.28$535.17
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

17312 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
Alabama$362.50$143.89
Alaska$470.12$204.04
Arizona$392.42$150.32
Arkansas$357.39$142.78
Atlanta, GA$409.90$156.06
Austin, TX$418.26$153.93
Bakersfield, CA$427.84$154.01
Baltimore area, MD$427.90$159.82
Beaumont, TX$376.45$149.10
Brazoria, TX$398.69$151.10

17312 rates by state

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

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Local rates. Clear comparisons.

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

$357.39

$481.00

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

View every state and territory as a table
17312 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AK$470.121
AL$362.501
AR$357.391
AZ$392.421
CA$426.82–$535.1729
CO$419.881
CT$429.171
DC$460.461
DE$398.831
FL$395.85–$431.323
GA$374.23–$409.902
GU$437.121
HI$437.121
IA$372.011
ID$374.271
IL$384.29–$419.754
IN$376.401
KS$370.061
KY$370.331
LA$369.66–$387.542
MA$417.36–$461.152
MD$406.40–$460.463
ME$375.91–$396.192
MI$379.51–$400.432
MN$403.301
MO$363.30–$389.193
MS$360.431
MT$402.791
NC$379.791
ND$396.271
NE$374.071
NH$413.091
NJ$434.34–$455.822
NM$381.441
NV$401.261
NY$385.33–$472.875
OH$378.171
OK$369.941
OR$398.40–$433.262
PA$378.90–$418.532
PR$405.781
RI$413.051
SC$379.561
SD$395.501
TN$371.851
TX$376.45–$418.268
UT$384.641
VA$394.74–$460.462
VI$405.781
VT$394.531
WA$416.64–$470.702
WI$383.251
WV$370.331
WY$399.951

How the 17312 rate is calculated

Each of 17312’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 · 17312

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work3.22

3.22 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense8.51

8.51 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice0.33

0.33 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

12.0600

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$402.81

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 17312

The CMS indicators that decide how 17312 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 17312

Mohs surgery, additional stage, specified sites

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global periodZZZAdd-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period.
Multiple procedures0No multiple-procedure reduction.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)1Not paid (statutory restriction).
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.

17312 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 17312

    Mohs surgery, additional stage, specified sites3.22 wRVU

    $402.81

  • 17311

    Mohs surgery, first stage, head/neck/hands/feet/genitalia6.05 wRVU

    $667.02+$264.21

  • 17314

    Mohs stage, additional stage, trunk or limb2.98 wRVU

    $385.45−$17.36

  • 17315

    Mohs block, beyond first five blocks0.85 wRVU

    $79.16−$323.65

How to choose

17311Mohs surgeryFirst stage, head/neck/hands/feet/genitalia
17311 reports the first Mohs stage for the head, neck, hands, feet, or genitalia; 17312 reports each subsequent stage at those sites.
17314Mohs stageAdditional stage, trunk or limb
Both report an additional Mohs stage, but 17314 is for the trunk, arms, or legs; 17312 is for the head, neck, hands, feet, or genitalia.
17315Mohs blockBeyond first five blocks
17312 counts an additional stage. Code 17315 counts additional tissue blocks beyond five within a stage.

17312 billing questions

When should 17312 be used instead of 17311?

Use 17311 for the first Mohs stage on the head, neck, hands, feet, or genitalia. Report 17312 for each additional stage at one of those sites.

Is 17312 billed per tissue block?

No. It represents an additional stage, which can include up to five tissue blocks. Code 17315 addresses additional blocks beyond that amount.

Can 17312 be reported by itself?

No. It is an add-on code and must be billed with the primary Mohs procedure for the lesion.

Which additional-stage code applies to a lesion on the trunk or an extremity?

Use 17314 for an additional stage on the trunk, arms, or legs. Code 17312 is for additional stages on the head, neck, hands, feet, or genitalia.

What documentation supports an additional-stage unit?

The operative record should show the lesion site, the additional stage performed, the tissue map and microscopic findings, and the reason the surgeon continued.

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 17312PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 1,647 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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