Billing code 11301: Shave lesionMedicare rate & RVUs in Virginia
Tangential shave removal of a 0.6–1.0 cm skin lesion on the trunk, arm, or leg, selected by anatomic site and lesion size.
Medicare pays $114.02–$133.11 for 11301 in the office in Virginia, from Virginia to Dc + Md/Va Suburbs. Which amount applies depends on the service address.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 9 sections
What 11301 covers
This service removes a skin lesion by shaving across its surface rather than excising it through the full thickness of the skin. Dermatologists commonly perform it in an office for a raised lesion on the trunk, arm, or leg when shave removal is the intended treatment or diagnostic approach. The code’s site group excludes lesions on the scalp, neck, hands, feet, genitalia, face, ears, eyelids, nose, and lips, which have separate code families.
Select the code using the lesion’s documented diameter and anatomic site. The record should identify the site, size, and reason for removal, and support that a shave technique was performed. This is a minor procedure with a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is 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. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; 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 11301 pays more and less in Virginia
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Dc + Md/Va Suburbs | $133.11 | $45.36 |
| Virginia | $114.02 | $40.80 |
How the 11301 rate is calculated
Each of 11301’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 · 11301
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.88
0.88 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense2.52
2.52 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.08
0.08 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
3.4800
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$116.24
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 11301
The CMS indicators that decide how 11301 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 11301
Shave lesion
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 9 | The concept doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
11301 without 51 · national office
$116.24
Shave lesion
11301-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$58.12
When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).
11301 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 11300Shave removal
- Use 11300 for a lesion in the same trunk, arm, or leg site group that falls in the smaller size tier; use 11301 when the documented diameter is 0.6–1.0 cm.
- 11302Shave removal
- Use 11302 for a lesion in the same site group that falls in the next larger size tier. The technique and site group are the same as 11301; size distinguishes the code.
- 11102Tangential skin biopsy
- Use 11102 when the service is a tangential biopsy to obtain a diagnostic sample. Code 11301 represents shave removal of a lesion, not simply collection of a biopsy sample.
- 11401Benign lesion excision
- Use 11401 when a benign lesion in this site group is removed by full-thickness excision. Code 11301 describes shave removal.
11301 billing questions
How does 11301 differ from 11300 or 11302?
All three are shave-removal codes for the trunk, arms, or legs. Choose among them by the lesion’s documented diameter: 11300 is the smaller size tier, 11301 is 0.6–1.0 cm, and 11302 is the next larger tier.
Does the code depend on the lesion’s location as well as its size?
Yes. Code 11301 is for the trunk, arms, or legs; lesions in other designated site groups use their corresponding shave-code family, even at the same diameter.
Is pathology included in the shave removal?
The code reports the removal, not the histopathologic examination. A pathology service may be reported separately when a specimen is submitted and the examination is performed.
What documentation supports reporting 11301?
Document the lesion’s anatomic site and diameter, the reason for removal, and the shave technique. The record should support a lesion size of 0.6–1.0 cm and a site in this code’s group.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the other procedures are paid at 50%. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
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
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
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