Precancerous spot removal cost in St. Louis, MO
In St. Louis, MO-IL, 9 hospitals list a cash price for destruction of a precancerous skin lesion (actinic keratosis), first lesion: from $43.55 to $851.62, with a median of $152.25. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Hospital Lincoln and 2 other hospitals — $108.70 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $117.00 at 23 hospitals.
Cash prices at 9 facilities across 6 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 Jun 12, 2026 and Jun 12, 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 St. Louis, MO-IL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln lowest Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Destruction Premalignant Lesion 1st Pf | $43.55 | $67.00 | $237.15–$260.86 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis lowest Saint Louis, MO Destruction Premalignant Lesion 1st Pf | $43.55 | $67.00 | $197.14–$452.16 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson lowest Festus, MO Destruction Premalignant Lesion 1st Pf | $43.55 | $67.00 | $197.14–$452.16 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO Destruct Benign Les 1st Les Mlp | $99.45 | $153.00 | $45.86–$1,199.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO Destruct Benign Les 1st Les Mlp | $99.45 | $153.00 | $43.50–$1,106.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Destruct Benign Les 1st Les Mlp | $105.95 | $163.00 | $237.15–$260.86 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO Destruction Premalignant Lesion 1st | $116.35 | $179.00 | $3,897.00–$7,801.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO Destruct Benign Les 1st Les Pf | $117.00 | $180.00 | $43.50–$1,106.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO Destruct Benign Les 1st Les Pf | $117.00 | $180.00 | $197.14–$452.16 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Destruct Benign Les 1st Les Pf | $124.15 | $191.00 | $237.15–$260.86 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Destruction Premalignant Lesion 1st | $152.25 | $203.00 | $81.20–$182.70 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospitals East Communities Washington, MO Destruction Premalignant Lesion 1st | $152.25 | $203.00 | $81.20–$172.55 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Destruction Premalignant Lesion 1st | $152.25 | $203.00 | $81.20–$182.70 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Destruction Premalignant Lesion 1st | $152.25 | $203.00 | $81.20–$182.70 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Destruction Premalignant Lesion 1st | $152.25 | $203.00 | $81.20–$182.70 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Destruction Premalignant Lesion 1st | $152.25 | $203.00 | $81.20–$182.70 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Destruction Premalignant Lesion 1st | $180.05 | $277.00 | $2,087.00–$3,194.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital South Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Destruct Benign Les 1st Les | $228.15 | $351.00 | $3,153.00–$6,631.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Gateway Regional Medical Center Granite City, IL · (618) 798-3000 DESTRCT PREMAL LES | $457.80 | $763.00 | $763.00 | 40% | — source file |
| Shriners Childrens - St Louis Saint Louis, MO · (314) 432-3600 DESTRUCT PREMALG LESION | $851.62 | $851.62 | $46.69–$337.79 | — | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO Destruct Benign Les 1st Les | $1,281.80 | $1,972.00 | $197.14–$251.20 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MO Destruction Premalignant Lesion 1st | $1,281.80 | $1,972.00 | $3,428.00–$8,893.00 | 35% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $43.55, median $152.25, highest $851.62 — a 19.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $152.25. 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 8 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 5 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.