Precancerous spot removal cost in Portland, ME
In Portland-South Portland, ME, 3 hospitals list a cash price for destruction of a precancerous skin lesion (actinic keratosis), first lesion: from $37.44 to $152.85, with a median of $52.80. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Hospital — $15.36 less than the median here. Across Maine, the median is $55.87 at 11 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 2 cities for code 17000, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Sep 9, 2025 and Sep 9, 2025.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Portland-South Portland, ME.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital lowest Portland, ME PF DESTRUCT PREMALG LESION 1ST | $37.44 | $144.00 | $76.90–$109.73 | 74% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital lowest Portland, ME PF DESTRUCT PREMALG LESION | $37.44 | $144.00 | $76.90–$109.73 | 74% | — source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 DESTR FACE PRMEAL LES ONE | $52.80 | $88.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Portland, ME DESTRUCTN PREMAL LESION 1ST | $101.40 | $390.00 | $208.26–$297.18 | 74% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Portland, ME HC DESTRUCT PREMALG LESION | $101.40 | $390.00 | $208.26–$297.18 | 74% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Portland, ME HC DESTRUCT PREMALG LESION 1ST | $101.40 | $390.00 | $208.26–$297.18 | 74% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Portland, ME DESTRUCT PREMALG LESION 1ST | $121.68 | $468.00 | $249.91–$356.62 | 74% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Portland, ME RH DESTRUCTN PREMAL LESION 1ST | $138.84 | $534.00 | $285.16–$406.91 | 74% | — source file |
| MaineHealth Portland, ME · (207) 662-0111 PR DESTRUCTION PREMALIGNANT LESION 1ST - AMBULATORY RATE | $152.85 | $152.85 | $53.53–$131.06 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| MaineHealth Portland, ME · (207) 662-0111 PR DESTRUCTION PREMALIGNANT LESION 1ST | $161.75 | $161.75 | $53.53–$131.06 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $37.44, median $52.80, highest $152.85 — a 4.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $52.80. 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 1 of 2 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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.