CPT code 17315: Mohs block, beyond first five blocks2026 Medicare rate & RVUs
Reports each Mohs tissue block beyond the first five in a stage when additional mapped specimens are needed for microscopic margin assessment.
Medicare pays $79.16 for 17315 nationally in the office and $40.08 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $71.20–$102.60.
Medicare rate · 17315
Mohs block, beyond first five blocks
- Work RVUs
- 0.85
- Total RVUs
- 2.37
- Global days
- ZZZ
National rate · 2026
$79.16
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for 17315 →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.
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On this page 10 sections
What 17315 covers
During Mohs micrographic surgery, the operating physician removes and maps tumor-bearing skin, then examines prepared tissue microscopically to assess margins. Code 17315 captures tissue blocks beyond the five-block allowance for a stage. It is reported when a stage requires more than five mapped specimens for microscopic margin assessment, commonly during staged excision of a cutaneous cancer. Mohs surgeons most often perform this work in office-based dermatologic surgery.
Report 17315 for each excess block with the appropriate Mohs stage code: 17311 or 17312 for head, neck, hands, feet, genitalia, or specified complex sites; 17313 or 17314 for trunk, arms, or legs. The operative and pathology records should support the site, stages, mapping, and block count. An additional block is distinct from an additional stage, which is reported with the applicable stage code. CMS classifies 17315 as an add-on: bill it only with a primary procedure, and payment falls 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 17315 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
$71.20 to $102.60
109 of 109 payment localities
17315 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.
$71.20
$95.45
Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.
View every state and territory as a table
| State / territory | Office rate range | Localities |
|---|---|---|
| AK | $95.45 | 1 |
| AL | $72.09 | 1 |
| AR | $71.20 | 1 |
| AZ | $77.32 | 1 |
| CA | $83.21–$102.60 | 29 |
| CO | $82.09 | 1 |
| CT | $83.95 | 1 |
| DC | $89.58 | 1 |
| DE | $78.48 | 1 |
| FL | $78.21–$84.72 | 3 |
| GA | $74.38–$80.49 | 2 |
| GU | $84.81 | 1 |
| HI | $84.81 | 1 |
| IA | $73.63 | 1 |
| ID | $74.05 | 1 |
| IL | $76.26–$82.63 | 4 |
| IN | $74.42 | 1 |
| KS | $73.35 | 1 |
| KY | $73.59 | 1 |
| LA | $73.49–$76.62 | 2 |
| MA | $81.71–$89.46 | 2 |
| MD | $79.83–$89.58 | 3 |
| ME | $74.40–$77.86 | 2 |
| MI | $75.25–$79.07 | 2 |
| MN | $78.92 | 1 |
| MO | $72.42–$76.84 | 3 |
| MS | $71.82 | 1 |
| MT | $79.16 | 1 |
| NC | $75.07 | 1 |
| ND | $77.77 | 1 |
| NE | $73.98 | 1 |
| NH | $80.85 | 1 |
| NJ | $84.98–$88.86 | 2 |
| NM | $75.61 | 1 |
| NV | $78.82 | 1 |
| NY | $76.04–$92.13 | 5 |
| OH | $74.97 | 1 |
| OK | $73.46 | 1 |
| OR | $78.27–$84.39 | 2 |
| PA | $75.06–$82.11 | 2 |
| PR | $79.66 | 1 |
| RI | $81.05 | 1 |
| SC | $75.13 | 1 |
| SD | $77.61 | 1 |
| TN | $73.67 | 1 |
| TX | $74.64–$81.76 | 8 |
| UT | $76.02 | 1 |
| VA | $77.65–$89.58 | 2 |
| VI | $79.66 | 1 |
| VT | $77.52 | 1 |
| WA | $81.54–$91.15 | 2 |
| WI | $75.51 | 1 |
| WV | $73.82 | 1 |
| WY | $78.55 | 1 |
How the 17315 rate is calculated
Each of 17315’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 · 17315
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.85
0.85 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.45
1.45 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.07
0.07 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
2.3700
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$79.16
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 17315
The CMS indicators that decide how 17315 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 17315
Mohs block, beyond first five blocks
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | ZZZ | Add-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
17315 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 17312Mohs surgeryAdditional stage, specified sites
- 17312 reports an additional Mohs stage at specified head, neck, hand, foot, genital, or complex sites. 17315 reports excess tissue blocks within a stage.
- 17314Mohs stageAdditional stage, trunk or limb
- 17314 reports an additional Mohs stage on the trunk, arms, or legs. 17315 is for tissue blocks beyond five in a stage, not another stage.
- 17311Mohs surgeryFirst stage, head/neck/hands/feet/genitalia
- 17311 reports the first Mohs stage at specified head, neck, hand, foot, genital, or complex sites; 17315 reports excess blocks in a stage.
17315 billing questions
Does 17315 represent another Mohs stage?
No. It reports each tissue block beyond the first five in a stage; an additional stage is reported with 17312 or 17314, as appropriate.
How many units should be reported?
Report one unit for each tissue block beyond five in a stage. Count the blocks for each stage separately.
Can 17315 be billed by itself?
No. It is an add-on code and must be reported with the applicable primary Mohs procedure.
Which Mohs stage code accompanies 17315?
Use 17311 or 17312 for the applicable head, neck, hands, feet, genitalia, or specified complex sites, and 17313 or 17314 for trunk, arms, or legs.
What documentation supports 17315?
The operative and pathology records should identify the Mohs site and stages, describe the tissue mapping, and support the number of blocks, including those beyond five in a stage.
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
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