Surgery and procedures CPT 17000 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Precancerous spot removal cost in New Orleans, LA — inpatient

In New Orleans-Metairie, LA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for destruction of a precancerous skin lesion (actinic keratosis), first lesion as an inpatient: from $53.90 to $124.80, with a median of $89.35. The lowest listed price is at Ochsner Clinic Foundation — $35.45 less than the median here. Across Louisiana, the median is $97.30 at 28 hospitals.

Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 17000, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.

Lowest$53.90Ochsner Clinic Foundation
Median$89.35half pay less
Highest$124.80in this market
Difference2.3×highest vs lowest

Where each hospital's price falls

Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in New Orleans-Metairie, LA.

median
Lowest $53.90Highest $124.80

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
Ochsner Clinic Foundation lowest New Orleans, LA · (504) 842-3000 HC DESTRUCTION ANY METHOD, INCLD LASER FOR LESIONS $53.90 $245.00 — 78% —
source file
St Charles Parish Hospital Luling, LA · (985) 785-3644 ED DESTRUCT PREMALG LESION $124.80 $208.00 $117.10–$208.00 40% —
source file

Inpatient: lowest $53.90, median $89.35, highest $124.80 — a 2.3× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 10 facilities here, median $97.30 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

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. 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.