Dermatology · specialty benchmark
Dermatology commercial reimbursement benchmarks
What commercial payers pay for the procedures that matter most to dermatology practices.
Dermatology at a glance
4,305 sampled providers
Codes tracked
44
publishable codes
Median % of Medicare
97%
across codes
Highest state
AK
Alaska
Highest payer
UHC
UnitedHealthcare
What the data shows
1
Dermatology rates in this dataset cover 44 procedure codes and 4,305 sampled providers in 51 states, at a median 97% of Medicare.
2
Alaska has the highest dermatology index and Arizona the lowest.
3
UnitedHealthcare has the highest dermatology index and Aetna the lowest.
4
The biggest revenue code by Medicare allowed dollars is CPT 99213 (Office o/p est low 20 min), paid at a 76-dollar median, 80% of Medicare.
Top dermatology codes by Medicare revenue
Ranked by Medicare allowed dollars billed by the specialty
| Rank | Code | Median | Medicare | % of Medicare | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CPT 99213 Office o/p est low 20 min | $76 | $95.19 | 80% | 4,286 |
| 2 | CPT 17311 Mohs 1 stage h/n/hf/g | $577 | $286.91 | 201% | 4,282 |
| 3 | CPT 99214 Office o/p est mod 30 min | $110 | $135.61 | 81% | 4,285 |
| 4 | CPT 17000 Destruct premalg lesion | $69 | $66.47 | 104% | 4,289 |
| 5 | CPT 17110 Destruction b9 les up to 14 | $101 | $111.22 | 91% | 4,293 |
| 6 | CPT 11102 Tangntl bx skin single les | $65 | $30.06 | 216% | 4,286 |
| 7 | CPT 88305 Tissue exam by pathologist | $68 | $70.14 | 97% | 4,270 |
| 8 | CPT 17313 Mohs 1 stage t/a/l | $515 | $257.52 | 200% | 4,280 |
| 9 | CPT 17004 Destroy premal lesions 15/> | $154 | $162.33 | 95% | 4,289 |
| 10 | CPT 77280 Ther rad simulaj field smpl | $302 | $269.55 | 112% | 4,264 |
Dermatology by payer
Index: 100 = four-payer median for the specialty's codes
| Payer | Index | Rank | Level | Highest on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UnitedHealthcare | 119 | 1 | 84% | |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield | 102 | 2 | 16% | |
| Cigna | 97 | 3 | 0% | |
| Aetna | 81 | 4 | 0% |
Dermatology by state
Index: 100 = the specialty's national median
| Rank | State | Index | Level | Codes | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | 243 | 44 | 16 | |
| 2 | Wisconsin | 204 | 44 | 104 | |
| 3 | Nebraska | 164 | 44 | 48 | |
| 4 | Oregon | 158 | 44 | 108 | |
| 5 | South Dakota | 157 | 44 | 37 | |
| 6 | New Hampshire | 150 | 44 | 78 | |
| 7 | Minnesota | 149 | 44 | 116 | |
| 8 | Massachusetts | 148 | 44 | 116 | |
| 9 | North Dakota | 146 | 44 | 24 | |
| 10 | Washington | 143 | 44 | 107 | |
| 11 | Hawaii | 139 | 44 | 46 | |
| 12 | Georgia | 136 | 44 | 116 | |
| 13 | Iowa | 135 | 44 | 63 | |
| 14 | Maine | 134 | 44 | 41 | |
| 15 | Mississippi | 126 | 44 | 55 | |
| 16 | Vermont | 112 | 44 | 22 | |
| 17 | Connecticut | 109 | 44 | 109 | |
| 18 | Montana | 108 | 44 | 44 | |
| 19 | Idaho | 108 | 44 | 46 | |
| 20 | Illinois | 106 | 44 | 114 | |
| 21 | Rhode Island | 105 | 44 | 48 | |
| 22 | New York | 102 | 44 | 107 | |
| 23 | Colorado | 101 | 44 | 125 | |
| 24 | West Virginia | 101 | 44 | 31 | |
| 25 | Kansas | 101 | 44 | 73 | |
| 26 | Utah | 99 | 44 | 113 | |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | 99 | 44 | 119 | |
| 28 | Nevada | 98 | 44 | 67 | |
| 29 | Michigan | 97 | 44 | 108 | |
| 30 | North Carolina | 97 | 44 | 125 | |
| 31 | Ohio | 95 | 44 | 115 | |
| 32 | New Mexico | 94 | 44 | 34 | |
| 33 | Missouri | 94 | 44 | 118 | |
| 34 | Tennessee | 93 | 44 | 123 | |
| 35 | California | 92 | 44 | 98 | |
| 36 | Delaware | 92 | 44 | 18 | |
| 37 | Louisiana | 91 | 44 | 130 | |
| 38 | Arkansas | 91 | 44 | 65 | |
| 39 | Texas | 90 | 44 | 134 | |
| 40 | Oklahoma | 90 | 44 | 80 | |
| 41 | Kentucky | 85 | 44 | 112 | |
| 42 | Virginia | 85 | 44 | 121 | |
| 43 | South Carolina | 85 | 44 | 109 | |
| 44 | Indiana | 84 | 44 | 116 | |
| 45 | New Jersey | 83 | 44 | 99 | |
| 46 | Maryland | 80 | 44 | 109 | |
| 47 | District of Columbia | 77 | 44 | 37 | |
| 48 | Alabama | 77 | 44 | 131 | |
| 49 | Florida | 75 | 44 | 114 | |
| 50 | Arizona | 72 | 44 | 104 |
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.
Benchmark your dermatology contracts
See how your negotiated rates compare by code, payer and state.