2025 CPT code 11601

Excision of a malignant skin lesion, 0.6-1.0 cm in diameter, including margins, with simple closure.

Refer to the current CPT coding guidelines for details on excisions of malignant skin lesions and appropriate coding practices.

Modifiers 58 (staged or related procedure), 59 (distinct procedural service), and others may be appropriate depending on the circumstances. Consult the CPT manual for details.

The medical necessity for excision of a malignant skin lesion is established by the presence of a cancerous growth that poses a risk to the patient's health.The size and location of the lesion, along with the patient's overall health and risk factors, are considered.

The physician is responsible for evaluating the lesion, determining the appropriate margins, performing the excision with local anesthesia, achieving hemostasis, and performing a simple closure of the wound. They may also order and interpret pathology results, including frozen sections.

IMPORTANT For lesions ≤0.5 cm, use 11600. For lesions 1.1-2.0 cm, use 11602. For lesions 2.1-3.0 cm, use 11603. For lesions 3.1-4.0 cm, use 11604. For lesions >4.0 cm, use 11606.Use modifier 59 for multiple lesions of different diameters. Use modifier 58 for re-excision during the postoperative period.

In simple words: The doctor removes a cancerous growth from your skin (trunk, arms, or legs). The growth is small (between 0.6 and 1.0 cm including the extra skin removed around it) and the doctor closes the wound with stitches.

This CPT code describes the surgical excision of a malignant lesion from the skin of the trunk, arms, or legs.The lesion's greatest diameter, including the margins necessary for complete excision, measures between 0.6 and 1.0 cm. The procedure includes local anesthesia and simple closure of the wound.More complex closure techniques would require additional codes.If frozen section analysis reveals inadequate margins, an additional excision at the same session is coded using this code, based on the final widest excised diameter.

Example 1: A 65-year-old male presents with a suspicious lesion on his right arm.The lesion measures 0.8 cm in diameter. The physician performs a full-thickness excision with simple closure, sending the specimen for pathology. Code 11601 is used., A 72-year-old female presents with a basal cell carcinoma on her back, measuring 0.7 cm in diameter. Excision with simple closure is performed. A frozen section is negative for residual malignancy, and the procedure is coded as 11601., A 50-year-old male has a 0.9 cm melanoma excised from his left leg.The wound requires a more complex repair than simple closure.Code 11601 is used along with codes for intermediate or complex closure and any additional reconstructive procedures.

** This code should only be used for malignant lesions.Benign lesions require different CPT codes.The measurement of the lesion plus margin is made before the excision.The choice of code depends on the greatest clinical diameter of the lesion plus the narrowest margins needed for complete excision.

  • Revenue Code: P5A (Ambulatory Procedures - Skin)
  • RVU: This information requires access to a specific payer's fee schedule and is not available in the provided text.
  • Global Days : The global surgical period for this procedure would depend on the payer's specific guidelines, andis not defined in the provided text.
  • Payment Status: Active
  • Modifier TC rule: A technical component (TC) modifier is not typically applicable to this code.
  • Fee Schedule : This information is not available in the provided text and would depend on the specific payer's historical fee schedules.
  • Specialties:Dermatology, Surgical Oncology
  • Place of Service:Office, Ambulatory Surgical Center, Hospital Outpatient Department
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