CPT 17261 · professional fee

Dstrj mal les t/a/l .6-1.0cm (CPT 17261): negotiated rates by payer and state

What UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna and Blue Cross Blue Shield pay for CPT 17261, from their published in-network rate files.

DermatologySnapshot Aug 2026Professional fee only

National summary

Commercial in-network, four payers combined, professional fee

Median rate

$132

P10 to P90: $84 to $280

vs Medicare

91%

non-facility rate $144.29

Payer spread

1.75×

UHC $171 vs Aetna $98

State spread

4.2×

AK $363 to AL $86

4,283 sampled providers5,588 TINs51 statesSample-based · how this is calculated

What the data shows

Generated from this code's own numbers

UnitedHealthcare has the highest median for CPT 17261 in the files analyzed, at $171, 75% above Aetna ($98), the lowest of the 4 payers shown.

The state spread is 4.2×: Alaska has the highest median at $363 and Alabama the lowest at $86, a gap larger than the gap between the highest and lowest payer.

Commercial rates run 91% of the Medicare non-facility rate ($144.29), which ranks 215th of 228 tracked codes by commercial-to-Medicare ratio.

Rates are tightest within Aetna (interquartile range $39) and widest within UnitedHealthcare ($130).

This is a top-33 code for dermatology by Medicare allowed dollars, so it carries real revenue weight for that specialty.

Rates by payer

Median of per-provider median rates, with interquartile range

Payer	Median	P25	P75	vs national	Rank	Providers	Position
UnitedHealthcare	$171	$139	$268	+30%	1	3,645	119% of Medicare
Blue Cross Blue Shield	$130	$98	$171	-1%	2	3,316	90% of Medicare
Cigna	$121	$93	$177	-8%	3	3,534	84% of Medicare
Aetna	$98	$84	$123	-26%	4	2,940	68% of Medicare

Rate distribution

Box = P25 to P75, whiskers = P10 to P90, tick = median, dashed line = Medicare non-facility ($144.29)

Rates by state

Median across payers · 50 states with enough data

Rank	State	Median	vs national	Highest payer	Lowest payer	Providers
1	Alaska	$363	+176%	n/a	n/a	16
2	Wisconsin	$271	+106%	UHC	Aetna	103
3	Oregon	$206	+57%	UHC	Aetna	108
4	South Dakota	$206	+57%	UHC	BCBS	37
4	Nebraska	$206	+57%	UHC	BCBS	48
6	North Dakota	$206	+56%	n/a	n/a	24
7	New Hampshire	$202	+54%	UHC	Aetna	78
8	Minnesota	$201	+52%	BCBS	Aetna	116
9	Washington	$198	+51%	UHC	Aetna	106
10	Hawaii	$197	+49%	UHC	Cigna	41
11	Massachusetts	$195	+48%	UHC	Aetna	116
12	Maine	$192	+45%	UHC	Aetna	41
13	Iowa	$184	+39%	Cigna	Aetna	63
14	Georgia	$171	+30%	UHC	Aetna	115
15	Mississippi	$166	+26%	BCBS	Cigna	55
16	New York	$149	+13%	UHC	Aetna	107
17	Rhode Island	$142	+7%	UHC	Aetna	48
18	Connecticut	$139	+6%	UHC	Aetna	109
19	Vermont	$139	+5%	UHC	BCBS	21
20	Montana	$138	+5%	UHC	Cigna	43
21	Idaho	$137	+4%	UHC	Aetna	46
22	West Virginia	$137	+4%	Cigna	UHC	31
23	Nevada	$135	+2%	UHC	Aetna	65
24	Illinois	$134	+2%	UHC	Cigna	113
25	North Carolina	$134	+2%	UHC	Aetna	125
26	Pennsylvania	$133	+1%	BCBS	Aetna	115
27	Utah	$128	-2%	UHC	Aetna	113
28	Colorado	$128	-3%	UHC	Aetna	125
29	Missouri	$124	-6%	UHC	Aetna	118
29	New Mexico	$124	-6%	UHC	Aetna	33
31	Ohio	$123	-6%	UHC	Aetna	115
32	Tennessee	$123	-7%	UHC	Aetna	123
33	Texas	$122	-7%	UHC	Aetna	134
34	Louisiana	$121	-8%	UHC	Cigna	130
35	Kansas	$121	-8%	UHC	Aetna	73
36	California	$120	-9%	UHC	Aetna	98
37	Arkansas	$119	-10%	UHC	Aetna	65
38	Oklahoma	$113	-14%	UHC	Aetna	80
39	Kentucky	$112	-15%	UHC	Aetna	112
40	South Carolina	$112	-15%	BCBS	Aetna	107
41	Virginia	$108	-18%	UHC	BCBS	121
42	New Jersey	$108	-18%	UHC	Aetna	99
43	Indiana	$103	-22%	UHC	Aetna	116
44	Delaware	$101	-23%	UHC	Aetna	18
45	Maryland	$101	-23%	UHC	Aetna	108
46	Michigan	$100	-24%	UHC	BCBS	108
47	Florida	$97	-26%	UHC	Aetna	114
48	Arizona	$91	-31%	UHC	BCBS	104
49	District of Columbia	$89	-33%	UHC	Cigna	36
50	Alabama	$86	-35%	UHC	Aetna	131

Frequently asked questions

Answers use this page's data

Which payer has the highest median rate for CPT 17261?

In the files we analyzed, UnitedHealthcare, at a median of $171 across 3,645 sampled providers. Aetna is lowest at $98, 75% lower than the highest.

How does the commercial rate compare with Medicare?

The national median is 91% of the 2026 Medicare non-facility rate of $144.29.

Which state has the highest median for CPT 17261?

Alaska has the highest median at $363; Alabama has the lowest at $86.

Is this the surgeon, physician or facility payment?

These are professional (physician) fees only. Facility, device and implant payments are priced separately and are not included.

How current is this data?

It is the August 2026 snapshot of each payer's in-network rate file. Sources and filters are listed in the methodology below.

Methodology

How these numbers are calculated

Source: in-network negotiated-rate files published under the federal Transparency in Coverage rule, August 2026 snapshot: UnitedHealthcare Choice plans (74 files); Aetna commercial plans (70 files); Cigna national PPO (1 files); BCBS licensees' own-network files (5,387 files). Payer comparisons describe these files, not each payer's entire book of business.
Sample: rates come from a random sample of up to 150 providers per state and specialty. Counts on this page are sampled providers and TINs, not totals.
Which providers count: only providers in a specialty relevant to the code, because a rate in a payer file attaches to a provider group and is listed under every provider in that group.
Filters: fee-for-service, professional billing class, no modifier, negotiated or fee-schedule dollar rates. Rates outside 1% to 1,000% of the Medicare rate are excluded.
Statistic: one median rate per provider, then percentiles across providers. A cell is shown only with at least 15 sampled providers and 4 TINs.
Medicare benchmark: CY2026 national physician fee schedule, non-QPP conversion factor, unadjusted for locality. Where the non-facility rate is more than twice the facility rate (office rates that include device or supply cost), the facility rate is used so comparisons are like for like.

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