Summary & Overview
CPT 17314: Mohs Micrographic Surgery for Trunk, Arms, or Legs
Headline: CPT 17314: Mohs Micrographic Surgery for Trunk, Arms, and Legs — Clinical and Billing Overview
Lead: CPT 17314 defines the Mohs micrographic technique for removal and microscopic examination of skin tumors located on the trunk, arms, or legs. The code bundles surgical excision, specimen mapping and color coding, and intraoperative histologic preparation and examination by the surgeon, making it central to specialized dermatologic cancer care.
What the code represents and why it matters: Mohs surgery, captured by CPT 17314, is a tissue-sparing, margin-controlled approach widely used for certain skin cancers. Its procedural complexity, combined surgical-pathologic workflow, and variable site-of-service settings influence clinical staffing, documentation, and payer coverage considerations nationally.
Key payers covered: The analysis considers major national payers including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare.
What readers will learn: Readers will find a concise explanation of the procedure components and typical care settings, a summary of payer coverage considerations, comparisons to adjacent Mohs codes, and operational elements that commonly affect billing and claims processing. The publication highlights common clinical contexts for use and identifies where input was not available.
Limitations: Data not available in the input for specific utilization rates, site-level reimbursement benchmarks, and jurisdictional policy variations.
CPT Code Overview
CPT 17314 describes the Mohs micrographic technique for complete tumor removal and microscopic examination of tissue from the trunk, arms, or legs. The code encompasses surgical excision of all gross tumor, preparation and mapping of specimens, color coding, and microscopic examination by the surgeon with routine histopathologic stains (for example, hematoxylin and eosin or toluidine blue).
Service Type: Dermatology / Mohs Micrographic Surgery
Typical Site of Service: Office (POS 11), Inpatient Hospital (POS 21), Outpatient Hospital (POS 22), Ambulatory Surgery Center (POS 24), Independent Clinic (POS 49), FQHC (POS 50), Public Health Clinic (POS 71), Rural Health Clinic (POS 72)
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 68-year-old patient presents to a dermatology clinic with a biopsy-proven basal cell carcinoma on the forearm. The patient is scheduled for Mohs micrographic surgery to achieve tissue-sparing excision with immediate microscopic margin evaluation. The clinical workflow: pre-procedure evaluation and consent are completed in the office; local anesthesia is administered; the surgeon performs staged excisions, maps and color-codes specimens, and examines frozen sections microscopically in the on-site lab. Stages continue until clear margins are confirmed. Reconstruction of the defect is performed in the same encounter when indicated. Typical sites of service include Office (POS 11), Inpatient Hospital (POS 21), Outpatient Hospital (POS 22), Ambulatory Surgery Center (POS 24), Independent Clinic (POS 49), FQHC (POS 50), Public Health Clinic (POS 71), and Rural Health Clinic (POS 72).
Coding Specifications
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Modifiers
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59- DISTINCT PROCEDURAL SERVICE: used to indicate the Mohs procedure was distinct or independent from other services performed on the same day (for example, a separate unrelated surgical procedure on a different anatomic site performed on the same day).