Precancerous spot removal cost in Columbia, MO
In Columbia, MO, 2 hospitals list a cash price for destruction of a precancerous skin lesion (actinic keratosis), first lesion: from $92.40 to $156.60, with a median of $124.50. The lowest listed price is at Boone Hospital Center — $32.10 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $117.00 at 23 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities for code 17000, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 22, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 15, 2025 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 Columbia, MO.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boone Hospital Center lowest Columbia, MO · (573) 815-8000 DESTRUC PREMAL,FIRST LESION | $92.40 | $154.00 | — | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Curators of the University of Missouri Columbia, MO · (573) 882-4141 DESTRUCT LESION BY ANY METHOD 1ST LESION-HBVC | $156.60 | $261.00 | $188.93–$196.27 | 40% | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Curators of the University of Missouri Columbia, MO · (573) 882-4141 DESTRUCTION PREMALIGANT LESION 1ST LESION-JIMC | $156.60 | $261.00 | $188.93–$196.27 | 40% | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Curators of the University of Missouri Columbia, MO · (573) 882-4141 DESTRUCTION PREMALIGANT LESION 1ST LESION-JSCM | $156.60 | $261.00 | $0.01 | 40% | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Curators of the University of Missouri Columbia, MO · (573) 882-4141 DESTRUCTION PREMALIGANT LESION 1ST LESION-PESC | $156.60 | $261.00 | $188.93–$196.27 | 40% | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Curators of the University of Missouri Columbia, MO · (573) 882-4141 DESTRUCTION PREMALIGANT LESION 1ST LESION-OBC | $156.60 | $261.00 | $188.93–$196.27 | 40% | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Curators of the University of Missouri Columbia, MO · (573) 882-4141 DESTRUCTION PREMALIGANT LESION 1ST LESION-OCJC | $156.60 | $261.00 | $188.93–$196.27 | 40% | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Curators of the University of Missouri Columbia, MO · (573) 882-4141 DEST BGN/PRMLG EXC SK TAG,CUTAN VAS PROLIF.1ST LE-NFM | $156.60 | $261.00 | $0.01 | 40% | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Curators of the University of Missouri Columbia, MO · (573) 882-4141 DESTRUCTION PREMALIGANT LESION 1ST LESION-OPH | $156.60 | $261.00 | $188.93–$196.27 | 40% | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Curators of the University of Missouri Columbia, MO · (573) 882-4141 DEST BGN/PRMLG LES EXC SK TAG,CUTAN VAS PROLIF.1ST LE-FUL | $156.60 | $261.00 | $0.01 | 40% | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Curators of the University of Missouri Columbia, MO · (573) 882-4141 DEST BGN/PRMLG LES EXC SK TAG,CUTAN VAS PROLIF.1ST LE-FAY | $156.60 | $261.00 | $0.01 | 40% | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Curators of the University of Missouri Columbia, MO · (573) 882-4141 DEST BGN/PRMLG EXC SK TAG,CUTAN VAS PROLIF.1ST LE.FV | $156.60 | $261.00 | $188.93–$196.27 | 40% | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Curators of the University of Missouri Columbia, MO · (573) 882-4141 DEST BGN/PRMLG EXC SK TAG,CUTAN VAS PROLIF.1ST LE-SPFM | $156.60 | $261.00 | $0.01 | 40% | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Curators of the University of Missouri Columbia, MO · (573) 882-4141 DESTRUCTION PREMALIGANT LESION 1ST LESION-SPGP | $156.60 | $261.00 | $0.01 | 40% | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Curators of the University of Missouri Columbia, MO · (573) 882-4141 DEST BGN/PRMLG LES EXC SK TAG,CUTAN VAS PROLIF.1ST LE.JCD | $156.60 | $261.00 | $188.93–$196.27 | 40% | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Curators of the University of Missouri Columbia, MO · (573) 882-4141 DESTRUCT,ANY METHOD,INC LASER W/W/0 SURG CURETT FIRST LES | $156.60 | $261.00 | $0.01 | 40% | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Curators of the University of Missouri Columbia, MO · (573) 882-4141 SURG DEST BENIGN OR PREMALIGN, 1 SINGLE LESION EF | $156.60 | $261.00 | $0.01 | 40% | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $92.40, median $124.50, highest $156.60 — a 1.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $124.50. 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 the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated and 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 it is
This code covers destroying a precancerous skin spot, such as an actinic keratosis, usually by freezing with liquid nitrogen. It is billed for the first lesion.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the procedure and numbing medicine. The visit may be billed separately.