CPT 17000: Destruction of First or Only Premalignant Skin Lesion
CPT code 17000 denotes the destruction of the first or only premalignant or benign skin lesion by methods such as chemosurgery, cryosurgery, electrosurgery, or similar destructive techniques. This code is widely used in dermatology and procedural dermatology for treatment of common lesions such as actinic keratoses. Nationally, accurate use of 17000 affects coding consistency, claims adjudication, and clinical documentation for outpatient dermatologic procedures.
Key payers referenced include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find an overview of the code's clinical context, comparisons with related codes for multiple lesions (17003, 17004), typical settings where the procedure is performed, and common billing considerations. The publication provides benchmarks and policy-relevant details that inform coding choices, payer coverage considerations, and revenue cycle handling for single-lesion destruction procedures.
This summary prepares clinicians, coders, and revenue managers to identify when 17000 is the correct code for a single lesion destruction, understand payer coverage scope among major national payers, and locate related codes for additional lesions. Data not available in the input will be noted where applicable in the full publication.
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Billing Code Overview
CPT code 17000 reports the destruction of the first or only premalignant or benign skin lesion using methods such as chemosurgery, cryosurgery, electrosurgery, or other destructive techniques. The code documents treatment of a single lesion when it is the first or only lesion addressed during the encounter.
Service type: Destruction of lesion (surgical/dermatologic procedure)
Typical site of service: Dermatology clinic, outpatient procedural suite, or ambulatory surgical setting
National Reimbursement Benchmarks
National averages show a clear split between Medicare and commercial BUCA pricing for CPT 17000: Medicare’s mean is $68.90 while BUCA’s mean is $135.60, indicating BUCA reimburses about $66.70 more on average than Medicare for this service. That gap highlights how commercial contracts can sit notably above the Medicare baseline even when Medicare’s central tendency (median $68) is tight around its mean.
Dispersion analysis using the interquartile range (P75 minus P25) highlights variability across payers. Blue Cross Blue Shield has the widest IQR at $83.40 ($205.80−$137.40), followed by UnitedHealth Group at $62.50 ($128.70−$66.20) and Cigna at $66.10 ($132.60−$64.90). Aetna has a narrower spread of $39.80 ($77.80−$39.80), making it one of the tighter distributions in this set.