Headline: CPT code 11306 covers shave excision of a single small skin lesion, commonly used in dermatology and outpatient surgical care.

Lead: CPT code 11306 represents the shave removal of a single epidermal or dermal lesion measuring 0.6 to 1.0 cm in diameter, typically performed on the scalp, neck, hands, feet, or genitals. This code captures a frequently performed, low-complexity skin procedure with implications for outpatient surgical workflow and payer coverage policies nationally.

Why it matters: Shave excisions address common dermatologic complaints and are used both for diagnostic pathology and for therapeutic lesion removal. Accurate coding affects clinical documentation, pathology routing, and payment across major commercial payers and Medicare.

Payers covered: Analysis includes major national payers — Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare.

What readers will learn: The publication summarizes clinical context for use of CPT code 11306, identifies typical sites of service, and outlines common payer coverage considerations and benchmarking topics relevant to outpatient dermatologic procedural billing. Where available, readers will find comparisons of reimbursement patterns and policy updates that affect shave excision coding and claim adjudication. Data not available in the input will be noted as such.