$91.74–$96.50
Both cover malignant lesions on the trunk, arms, or legs, but 17260 is for lesions in the smaller size tier. Use 17261 when the measured lesion is 0.6–1.0 cm.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
17261 Malignant lesion destruction Medicare reimbursement rates in Michigan
Destruction of a malignant skin lesion measuring 0.6–1.0 cm on the trunk, arm, or leg, using an appropriate destructive technique. Compare 17261 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Michigan.
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 17261 in Michigan?
Michigan has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$136.06–$143.52
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
Facility setting
$72.33–$76.16
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
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 17261: Malignant skin lesion destruction, trunk or limb
Destruction of a malignant skin lesion measuring 0.6–1.0 cm on the trunk, arm, or leg, using an appropriate destructive technique.
This service destroys a confirmed malignant skin lesion on the trunk, an arm, or a leg. Techniques may include electrosurgery, cryosurgery, laser treatment, chemical destruction, or curettage. Dermatologists commonly perform it in an office for selected skin cancers, such as appropriate superficial basal cell or squamous cell lesions; it may also be performed in a facility setting. The lesion must fit this code’s size range, and the anatomic site must match its trunk-and-limb group.
Select the code using the lesion’s documented size and location, and record the diagnosis, treatment method, and measurements supporting the choice. Report separately for each treated lesion, with documentation identifying each site and size. Medicare assigns 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 multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate; assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted, and co-surgeon and team-surgery billing are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 17261
- 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 RVU1.19 · 28%
- Practice expense (office) RVU3.01 · 70%
- Malpractice RVU0.12 · 3%
131K
Medicare services in 2024 · #486 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.
17261 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Michigan, from the same CMS release.
$164.35–$173.32
This code covers the 0.6–1.0 cm tier; 17262 is for a larger lesion on the same anatomic sites.
$153.65–$162.01
The size tier is the same, but 17271 is for the head, neck, hands, feet, or genitalia rather than the trunk, arms, or legs.
$84.27–$89.28
17250 is chemical cautery of granulation tissue, not treatment of a malignant skin lesion.
Compare 17261 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Detroit →
Office / nonfacility
$143.52
Facility
$76.16
Rest Of Michigan →
Office / nonfacility
$136.06
Facility
$72.33
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17261 billing questions
How is this code distinguished from 17260 and 17262?
Use this code for a trunk, arm, or leg lesion measuring 0.6–1.0 cm. Code 17260 is for a smaller lesion, while 17262 is for a larger one.
Can this code be used for a lesion on the face or hand?
No. This code is for the trunk, arms, or legs; a lesion on the head, neck, hands, feet, or genitalia belongs to the corresponding site-specific code group.
How should multiple lesions treated at the same session be reported?
Report each treated lesion separately and document its site and size. When multiple 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.
Are related postoperative visits separately reportable?
Related postoperative visits during the 10-day global period are included in this procedure.
Can modifier 50 or an assistant-at-surgery claim be used?
Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery, and co-surgeons and team surgery 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.
1,62617111,,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
1,63217264,,Dstrj mal les t/a/l 3.1-4.0,A,,1.94,3.92,,1.14,,0.19,6.05,3.27,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00