Precancerous spot removal cost in Washington, DC
In Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 12 hospitals list a cash price for destruction of a precancerous skin lesion (actinic keratosis), first lesion: from $120.00 to $380.17, with a median of $168.75. The lowest listed price is at Inova Fairfax Hospital and 4 other hospitals — $48.75 less than the median here. Across District of Columbia, the median is $294.76 at 3 hospitals.
- The median here, $168.75, is 9% below the US median of $184.50.
- That is 0.8× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($204.98).
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 10 cities for code 17000, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 30, 2024 and Jul 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inova Fairfax Hospital lowest Falls Church, VA · (703) 698-1110 HC DESTRUCTION PREMAL LSN 1ST LSN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $120.00 | $240.00 | $109.68–$2,561.00 | 50% |
| Inova Loudoun Hospital lowest Leesburg, VA · (703) 858-6600 HC DESTRUCTION PREMAL LSN 1ST LSN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $120.00 | $240.00 | $109.68–$2,561.00 | 50% |
| Inova Fair Oaks Hospital lowest Fairfax, VA · (703) 391-4170 HC DESTRUCTION PREMAL LSN 1ST LSN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $120.00 | $240.00 | $109.68–$2,561.00 | 50% |
| Inova Mount Vernon Hospital lowest Alexandria, VA · (703) 664-7105 HC DESTRUCTION PREMAL LSN 1ST LSN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $120.00 | $240.00 | $109.68–$2,561.00 | 50% |
| Inova Alexandria Hospital lowest Alexandria, VA · (703) 504-3167 HC DESTRUCTION PREMAL LSN 1ST LSN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $120.00 | $240.00 | $109.68–$2,561.00 | 50% |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chg - Destruct Premalg Lesion+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $145.00 | $290.00 | — | 50% |
| Jefferson Medical Center Ranson, WV · (304) 728-1600 DESTRUCT PREMALG LESION File of Jul 12, 2026 · source file | $192.50 | $385.00 | — | 50% |
| Children's National Hospital Washington, DC · (202) 476-5000 17000 Destr Premalig Lsn, 1st Lsn File of Apr 2, 2026 · source file | $248.50 | $497.00 | $76.34–$4,902.00 | 50% |
| MedStar Washington Hospital Center Washington, DC · (202) 877-7000 DESTROY BENIGN PREMLG LESION+3 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $294.76 | $453.47 | $131.51–$3,175.00 | 35% |
| Stafford Hospital Stafford, VA · (540) 741-9000 Destruct premalg lesion File of Dec 30, 2024 · source file | $303.50 | $607.00 | $191.00–$4,450.00 | 50% |
| Mary Washington Hospital Fredericksburg, VA · (540) 741-1100 Destruct premalg lesion File of Dec 30, 2024 · source file | $303.50 | $607.00 | $191.00–$4,450.00 | 50% |
| MedStar Georgetown Hospital Northwest Washington, DC · (202) 784-3000 WOUND CAUTERY 1ST LESION+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $380.17 | $584.88 | $163.77–$3,175.00 | 35% |
Outpatient: lowest $120.00, median $168.75, highest $380.17 — a 3.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $145.00. 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 10 of 10 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.