Billing code 17272: Lesion destructionMedicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $183.37 for 17272 nationally in the office and $101.54 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $163.78–$239.35.

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

What 17272 covers

This code covers destruction of a malignant skin lesion in the 1.1–2 cm size range on the scalp, neck, hands, feet, or genitalia. Destruction may use an appropriate technique such as cryosurgery, electrosurgery, laser, or curettage. Dermatologists commonly perform the procedure in an office; surgeons and other qualified clinicians may perform it in office or facility settings. Examples include treating a confirmed basal cell carcinoma on the scalp or a squamous cell carcinoma on a hand when destruction is selected rather than excision.

Select the code for each lesion using its documented diameter and anatomic site; do not combine the diameters of separate lesions. Documentation should identify the malignant lesion, its location and size, and the destruction performed. The procedure has a 10-day global period, so related postoperative visits during that period are included. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Medicare does not pay for an assistant at surgery, and co-surgery 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 17272 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

17272 rates by state

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

How the 17272 rate is calculated

Each of 17272’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 17272

17272 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

17272 compared with similar codes

How to choose

17271Lesion destruction

Use 17271 for a 0.6–1 cm lesion on the scalp, neck, hands, feet, or genitalia. Use 17272 when the lesion measures 1.1–2 cm.

17273Lesion destruction

Use 17273 for a 2.1–3 cm lesion at the same anatomic sites. The lesion size, not the destruction technique, separates it from 17272.

17262Lesion destruction

The size range is the same, but 17262 applies to the trunk, arms, or legs rather than the scalp, neck, hands, feet, or genitalia.

17282Lesion destruction

Use 17282 for a 1.1–2 cm lesion on the face, ears, eyelids, nose, lips, or mucous membranes; 17272 covers its own specified anatomic group.

Codes related to 17272

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