$132.79
Both codes cover the trunk, arms, or legs, but 17261 is for a lesion measuring 0.6 to 1.0 cm; 17260 is for 0.5 cm or less.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
17260 Skin lesion destruction Medicare reimbursement rates in Kentucky
Destruction of a malignant skin lesion measuring 0.5 cm or less on the trunk, arms, or legs, selected by lesion size and anatomic site. Compare 17260 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Kentucky.
Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.
What does Medicare pay for 17260 in Kentucky?
Kentucky has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$89.67
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Kentucky
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$56.11
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Kentucky
One mapped payment locality.
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Dermatology procedure
About 17260: Small malignant skin lesion destruction
Destruction of a malignant skin lesion measuring 0.5 cm or less on the trunk, arms, or legs, selected by lesion size and anatomic site.
Code 17260 covers destruction of a malignant skin lesion on the trunk, an arm, or a leg when the lesion measures 0.5 cm or less. Methods may include electrosurgery, cryosurgery, laser treatment, chemical destruction, or surgical curettement. Dermatologists and other clinicians who treat skin cancers commonly perform the service in an office or outpatient facility. The code represents treatment of the lesion, rather than removal by an excision technique.
Select the code using the lesion’s anatomic group and measured diameter, not the destruction method. Document the malignant diagnosis, exact site, lesion measurement, method, and each lesion treated. Report the appropriate code for each treated lesion. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and reduces payment for the others by 50%. The 10-day global period includes related postoperative visits during that period. Modifier 50 is inappropriate; assistant-at-surgery services are not paid, and co-surgeon and team-surgery payment are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 17260
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 10-day global period: related postoperative visits for 10 days are included.
- Multiple procedures
- Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU0.94 · 32%
- Practice expense (office) RVU1.88 · 65%
- Malpractice RVU0.08 · 3%
23.1K
Medicare services in 2024 · #1084 by national volume
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.
17260 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Kentucky, from the same CMS release.
$135.73
This code covers the smallest size level on the scalp, neck, hands, feet, or genitalia. Use 17260 for the same size level on the trunk, arms, or legs.
$127.45
This code covers the smallest size level on the face, ears, eyelids, nose, lips, or mucous membrane. Use 17260 for the trunk, arms, or legs.
Compare 17260 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
1 of 1 payment localities
Kentucky →
Office / nonfacility
$89.67
Facility
$56.11
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How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 17260 in Kentucky.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
1,628
- Code
- 17260
- Physician work
- 0.94
- Practice expense
- 1.88
- Malpractice
- 0.08
GPCI2026.csv
55
- Locality
- Kentucky
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.889
- Malpractice
- 0.915
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 0.94 | × 1.000 | 0.9400 |
| Practice expense | 1.88 | × 0.889 | 1.6713 |
| Malpractice | 0.08 | × 0.915 | 0.0732 |
| Total RVUs | 2.6845 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Kentucky$89.67
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.94 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 1.88 | 0.889 |
| Malpractice | 0.08 | 0.915 |
(0.94 × 1 + 1.88 × 0.889 + 0.08 × 0.915) × $33.4009 = $89.67
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.94 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 0.75 | 0.889 |
| Malpractice | 0.08 | 0.915 |
(0.94 × 1 + 0.75 × 0.889 + 0.08 × 0.915) × $33.4009 = $56.11
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
17260 billing questions
When should 17260 be used instead of 17261?
Use 17260 for a malignant lesion on the trunk, arm, or leg measuring 0.5 cm or less. Code 17261 is for the same anatomic group when the lesion is larger.
Does the destruction method change the code?
No. The code selection depends on the lesion’s site and diameter; qualifying methods include electrosurgery, cryosurgery, laser treatment, chemical destruction, and surgical curettement.
How should multiple lesions treated in one session be reported?
Select the size- and site-appropriate code for each lesion treated. Medicare’s multiple-procedure reduction applies when multiple procedures are performed in the same session.
Should modifier 50 be appended for lesions on both sides?
No. The bilateral adjustment does not apply to this code, and modifier 50 is inappropriate.
What postoperative care is included?
Related postoperative visits during the 10-day global period are included in the procedure payment.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be billed?
Assistant-at-surgery services are not paid for this code. Co-surgeon and team-surgery payment are not permitted.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense, and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.
Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.
1,62517110,,Destruction b9 les up to 14,A,,0.68,2.58,,1.12,,0.07,3.33,1.87,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,62617111,,Destruction b9 lesions 15/>,A,,0.95,2.86,,1.18,,0.08,3.89,2.21,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,62717250,,Chem caut of granltj tissue,A,,0.49,2.14,,0.50,,0.07,2.70,1.06,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,62817260,,Dstrj mal les t/a/l 0.5 cm/<,A,,0.94,1.88,,0.75,,0.08,2.90,1.77,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,62917261,,Dstrj mal les t/a/l .6-1.0cm,A,,1.19,3.01,,0.92,,0.12,4.32,2.23,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,63017262,,Dstrj mal les t/a/l 1.1-2.0,A,,1.59,3.45,,1.04,,0.16,5.20,2.79,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,63117263,,Dstrj mal les t/a/l 2.1-3.0,A,,1.79,3.67,,1.10,,0.18,5.64,3.07,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5208102,IN,00,INDIANA,1.000,0.927,0.486
5305102,IA,00,IOWA,1.000,0.915,0.397
5405202,KS,00,KANSAS,1.000,0.904,0.504
5515102,KY,00,KENTUCKY,1.000,0.889,0.915
5607202,LA,01,NEW ORLEANS,1.000,0.941,1.136
5707202,LA,99,REST OF LOUISIANA,1.000,0.885,0.958
5814112,ME,03,SOUTHERN MAINE,1.000,0.991,0.631