Dermatology Billing Services in New York

New York's dermatology practices face unique billing challenges shaped by Empire BlueCross BlueShield's commercial rules, NY Medicaid Managed Care requirements, and National Government Services (NGS) (Jurisdiction K) Medicare policies. Our AAPC-certified coders specialize in both NY payer rules and dermatology coding complexity.

AAPC Certified
NY Payer Expert
Dermatology Specialists
2.49% Rate
Last reviewed: May 2026Reviewed by the Go Medical Billing Editorial TeamAAPC-certified coders
90,000+NY Physicians
2.49%Starting Rate
7Medicaid MCOs
98%+Clean Claim Rate

Why New York Dermatology Practices Need Specialized Billing

New York's healthcare market includes 90,000+ physicians, and dermatology practices here face a payer market dominated by Empire BlueCross BlueShield on the commercial side and NY Medicaid Managed Care on the public payer side. Medicare claims are processed through National Government Services (NGS) (Jurisdiction K), which applies its own Local Coverage Determinations that directly affect dermatology procedure coverage and medical necessity requirements. Generic billing teams without NY specific knowledge leave revenue on the table.

Dermatology billing itself is complex. Dermatology practices perform dozens of procedures daily alongside office visits. Biopsy coding changed significantly with the 11102-11104 code series, lesion destruction has count-based coding (17000 for first, 17003 for 2-14), and Mohs surgery (17311-17315) has its own complex coding structure. Practices that don't code these correctly lose significant revenue. When you combine this coding complexity with New York's specific payer rules, authorization requirements, and 7 NY Medicaid Managed Care managed care plans that each have their own billing rules, you need a team that understands both dimensions. Go Medical Billing provides that expertise at 2.49% of collections, serving dermatology practices from New York City to Yonkers and across New York.

2026 New York Medicare Allowables for Dermatology CPT Codes

These are the 2026 Medicare allowable amounts for dermatology CPT codes in New York, processed under National Government Services (NGS) (Jurisdiction K). Allowables are locality-adjusted, so NYrates differ from other states — the highest-value dermatology code below pays $735.15 non-facility here. Compare any code across states with our Medicare fee calculator by state.

Code
Description
Non-Facility
Facility
Tangential biopsy (shave)
$105.60
$32.57
Punch biopsy
$134.15
$41.37
Destruction of first lesion (cryotherapy)
$73.30
$52.43
Destruction of additional lesions (2-14)
$6.99
$1.77
Mohs surgery, first stage, head/neck
$735.15
$311.11

Source: 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, NY locality (National Government Services (NGS) (Jurisdiction K)). Commercial Empire BlueCross BlueShield rates typically run above these benchmarks; NY Medicaid Managed Care rates run below. Figures for reference, not a guarantee of payment.

The New York Market Context for Dermatology Practices

New York has more than 90,000 physicians and one of the most fragmented commercial insurance markets in the country. The state has its own Surprise Bill Law that predates the federal No Surprises Act by several years, and the New York Independent Dispute Resolution process is one of the most active state-level arbitration systems for out-of-network claims. Empire BlueCross BlueShield is the largest commercial carrier statewide. EmblemHealth, Oxford, and Aetna also hold significant share. New York City has a separate Medicaid managed care market from upstate. MetroPlus and Healthfirst dominate inside the five boroughs while Fidelis Care, MVP, and UnitedHealthcare are more prominent upstate. The state has at least seven active Medicaid managed care organizations, each with its own provider portal, prior authorization rules, and reimbursement schedule.

New York-specific factors that shape dermatology reimbursement: New York's Surprise Bill Law went into effect in 2015, predating the federal No Surprises Act by seven years. The state IDR process has issued thousands of binding decisions.; Empire BlueCross BlueShield is one of the largest BCBS plans in the country by membership. Its rules differ from BCBS plans in neighboring states like New Jersey (Horizon BCBS) and Connecticut (Anthem BCBS).; New York is the largest single state for Medicare beneficiaries in the Northeast. The Medicare MAC is National Government Services (NGS) under Jurisdiction K, which also serves Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.. Our NY coders build these into every dermatologyclaim — see how this works alongside our New York medical billing and dermatology billing teams.

New York Payer Challenges for Dermatology

Every NY payer has specific rules for dermatology claims. Here's how we navigate them.

Empire BlueCross BlueShield Dermatology Claims

Empire BlueCross BlueShield processes the largest share of New York commercial dermatology claims. We know their NY specific fee schedules, prior authorization requirements for dermatology procedures, and their appeal timelines when claims are denied. Tangential (11102), punch (11104), and incisional (11106) have different RVUs. Wrong selection costs revenue.

NY Medicaid Managed Care Dermatology Billing

NY Medicaid Managed Care routes dermatology patients through 7 managed care plans: Fidelis Care, Healthfirst, MetroPlus, and 4 more. Each MCO has its own dermatology authorization and billing rules that we manage.

Medicare (National Government Services (NGS) (Jurisdiction K)) Dermatology Coverage

National Government Services (NGS) (Jurisdiction K) processes Medicare dermatology claims in New York with its own Local Coverage Determinations. We navigate National Government Services (NGS) (Jurisdiction K)'s policies around lesion count coding to prevent medical necessity denials.

Denial Prevention for New York Dermatology

Common dermatology denials in New York include wrong biopsy technique code selected and lesion count not documented for destruction codes. Our team catches these issues before submission and appeals aggressively with NY payer-specific documentation when denials occur.

Get Expert Dermatology Billing in New York

Free billing assessment for your NY dermatology practice. See where revenue is leaking.

98%+ clean claim rate
2.49% starting rate
Results in 30 days

Fill in your details and we'll call you back

Or call directly:888-701-6090

What We Handle for New York Dermatology Practices

Biopsy coding (tangential, punch, incisional)
Lesion destruction with count-based coding
Mohs micrographic surgery billing
Excision coding with size documentation
Phototherapy and biologic administration
Same-day E/M + procedure optimization
Medical necessity documentation support
Pathology code coordination

New York Dermatology Billing Cost Comparison

Hiring an in-house biller with dermatology expertise in New York costs $45K-$62K annually in salary alone. Add benefits, software, clearinghouse fees, and office space, and the true cost is even higher. At 2.49% of collections, Go Medical Billing provides an entire team of AAPC-certified dermatology coders and NY payer specialists for a fraction of that cost.

$45K-$62K

In-House Biller Salary

+ benefits, software, space

2.49%

Go Medical Billing Rate

Full team, all services included

60-80%

Typical Cost Reduction

With better results

Frequently Asked Questions

All major NY payers: Empire BlueCross BlueShield, Aetna, Cigna, UHC, EmblemHealth, Oxford Health Plans, Healthfirst (commercial), MVP, NY Medicaid Managed Care (including Fidelis Care, Healthfirst, MetroPlus), and Medicare through National Government Services (NGS) (Jurisdiction K). If a payer accepts dermatology patients in New York, we submit and follow-up on claims with them.
The most frequent dermatology denials we see from NY payers include wrong biopsy technique code selected, lesion count not documented for destruction codes, mohs stage/block documentation insufficient. Our team catches these before submission by applying both dermatology coding expertise and NY payer-specific rules to every claim.
NY Medicaid Managed Care routes dermatology patients through 7 managed care plans: Fidelis Care, Healthfirst, MetroPlus, Molina Healthcare, MVP Health Care, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, Empire BlueCross BlueShield HealthPlus. Each MCO has its own dermatology authorization requirements, fee schedules, and billing rules. We credential and bill with all of them so your dermatology practice gets paid correctly.
Most NY dermatology practices are fully transitioned within two to three weeks. We connect to your EHR, learn your dermatology workflows, and start submitting claims to Empire BlueCross BlueShield, NY Medicaid Managed Care, Medicare, and all your NY payers with no downtime.

Fix Your New York Dermatology Billing

Call 888-701-6090 for a free billing assessment specific to your NY dermatology practice. We'll show you where revenue is leaking and how to fix it.