CPT code 17313: Mohs surgery, first stage, trunk or extremity2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $626.27 for 17313 nationally in the office and $257.52 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $557.40–$826.94.

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

What 17313 covers

A Mohs surgeon removes a skin cancer in mapped tissue layers, processes and examines the tissue microscopically, and uses the findings to guide further removal while preserving uninvolved tissue. This code represents the first stage for a lesion on the trunk, an arm, or a leg. It is commonly used for cutaneous basal cell or squamous cell carcinomas treated in a dermatology office or hospital outpatient setting.

Report one first-stage service for the treated site, with the number of tissue blocks documented; the first stage includes up to five blocks. Record the anatomic site, mapping, blocks examined, and histologic findings. Additional stages are reported with 17314, and additional blocks beyond the included amount with 17315. Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in the 0-day global period. When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. 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.

Where 17313 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

17313 rates by state

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

How the 17313 rate is calculated

Each of 17313’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 17313

The CMS indicators that decide how 17313 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

17313 compared with similar codes

How to choose

17311Mohs surgeryFirst stage, head/neck/hands/feet/genitalia

Use 17311 for the first Mohs stage at the head, neck, hands, feet, or genitalia. Code 17313 is for the trunk, arms, or legs.

17314Mohs stageAdditional stage, trunk or limb

17314 reports an additional Mohs stage on the trunk, arms, or legs; 17313 reports the first stage at those sites.

17315Mohs blockBeyond first five blocks

17315 reports additional tissue blocks beyond the included amount, rather than a separate stage.

17312Mohs surgeryAdditional stage, specified sites

17312 reports an additional Mohs stage at sites assigned to 17311, not the trunk, arms, or legs.

Codes related to 17313

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