CPT 11600: Excision of Malignant Lesion, ≤0.5 cm, Trunk/Arms/Legs
Medicare pays $205 and commercial payers pay $723 on average nationally for this procedure.
CPT code 11600 reports excision of a malignant skin lesion including margins when the lesion diameter is 0.5 cm or less, typically performed as a minor surgical excision in an outpatient setting on the trunk, arms, or legs; documentation should describe the lesion size, anatomical site, and that margins were included to support coding for a small malignant lesion excision.
For related coverage guidance, see recent payer policy updates: Mohs Micrographic Surgery, Mohs Micrographic Surgery, Mohs Micrographic Surgery.
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National Reimbursement Benchmarks
Medicare’s national mean of $205.50 sits well below BUCA’s average commercial mean of $722.80, indicating a substantial gap between CMS payments and this commercial benchmark. That gap reflects typical payer stratification: Medicare clusters near the lower end of the commercial spectrum while BUCA represents higher commercial reimbursement levels, with UnitedHealth Group and Blue Cross Blue Shield showing mean rates closer to BUCA than to Medicare.
Dispersion measured as P75–P25 highlights which payers are most and least variable. Blue Cross Blue Shield has the widest interquartile spread at $665.30 ($1,389.20 − $746.90), followed by UnitedHealth Group at $180.90 ($352.00 − $172.10). The tightest spreads are Aetna at $111.80 ($156.10 − $43.00) and Cigna at $164.10 ($322.70 − $157.60). BUCA’s IQR is $412.50 ($912.50 − $480.00), indicating substantial commercial variability but less than BCBS.