Precancerous spot removal cost in Boston, MA
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 14 hospitals list a cash price for destruction of a precancerous skin lesion (actinic keratosis), first lesion: from $65.10 to $1,226.00, with a median of $282.45. The lowest listed price is at Lowell General Hospital — $217.35 less than the median here. Across Massachusetts, the median is $273.00 at 23 hospitals.
- The median here, $282.45, is 53% above the US median of $184.50.
- That is 1.4× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($204.98).
- 7 of 14 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 14 facilities across 7 cities for code 17000, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 28, 2026 and Apr 1, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowell General Hospital lowest Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 HC Destruction Premalignant Lesion 1st File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $65.10 | $93.00 | $32.55–$267.52 | 30% |
| Boston Medical Center South Brockton, MA · (508) 427-3000 HC Destruction Premalignant Lesion 1st File of Mar 13, 2026 · source file | $114.15 | $253.66 | $30.54–$394.86 | 55% |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston, MA · (617) 789-3000 HC Destruction Premalignant Lesion 1st File of Mar 13, 2026 · source file | $117.75 | $261.67 | $29.12–$475.07 | 55% |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 667-7000 HC DESTR PREMAL LESION 1ST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $190.00 | $190.00 | — | — |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 HC Destruction Premalignant 1st Lesion File of Mar 20, 2026 · source file | $225.00 | $225.00 | $35.44–$411.83 | — |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 HC Destruction Premalignant Lesion 1st File of Mar 13, 2026 · source file | $237.15 | $527.00 | $112.04–$572.61 | 55% |
| Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital Brockton, MA · (508) 941-7000 DST; PRE-MLGNT LESION File of Jan 28, 2026 · source file | $268.80 | $384.00 | $40.48–$419.95 | 30% |
| Tufts Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 636-5000 HC Destruction Premalignant Lesion 1st File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $296.10 | $423.00 | $111.08–$554.05 | 30% |
| Anna Jaques Hospital Newburyport, MA · (978) 463-1000 HC DESTR PREMAL LESION 1ST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $384.00 | $384.00 | — | — |
| Mount Auburn Hospital Cambridge, MA · (617) 492-3500 HC DESTR PREMAL LESION 1ST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $412.00 | $412.00 | — | — |
| Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington Burlington, MA · (781) 744-5100 HC DESTR PREMAL LESION 1ST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $459.00 | $459.00 | — | — |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose, MA · (781) 979-3000 HC Destruction Premalignant Lesion 1st File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $981.40 | $1,402.00 | $201.78–$1,515.98 | 30% |
| Shriners Childrens - Boston Boston, MA · (617) 722-3000 DESTRUCT PREMALG LESION File of Mar 17, 2026 · source file | $1,086.73 | $1,086.73 | $23.44–$1,525.00 | — |
| New England Baptist Hospital Boston, MA · (617) 754-5800 HC DESTR PREMAL LESION 1ST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,226.00 | $1,226.00 | — | — |
Outpatient: lowest $65.10, median $282.45, highest $1,226.00 — a 18.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $268.80. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 9 of 9 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What precancerous spot removal is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Precancerous spot removal explained.