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97610 Low frequency non-thermal us

What 97610 is

CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Low frequency non-thermal us.

Full CPT long descriptions are licensed by the American Medical Association and are not published on this site; the short descriptor above is the one CMS prints in its own fee schedule file. See About CPT.

Medicare payment for 97610 (CY2026)

Work RVUPractice expense RVUMalpractice RVUTotalMedicare rate
Non-facility (office)0.3911.500.0111.90$397.47
Facility (hospital, ASC)0.390.060.010.46$15.36

National rates: total RVUs x the CY2026 conversion factor of 33.4009 (non-QP), before geographic adjustment. Actual Medicare payment is 80% of the rate shown after the deductible; the patient or secondary payer owes the 20% coinsurance.


Status: Active - payable under the Physician Fee Schedule. Global period: Global concept does not apply.

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Medically Unlikely Edit (MUE)

Medicare caps 97610 at 1 unit per date of service for practitioner claims (MAI 2 - date of service edit (absolute): units above the MUE never pay), rationale: Code Descriptor / CPT Instruction. Units above the cap are denied unless the edit's adjudication rules allow an appeal with documentation.

Billed with 97610? These codes are bundled into it

97610 is a Column 1 code in 7 active NCCI PTP edits. When one of these Column 2 codes is reported on the same date of service, it is denied as bundled - unless the edit's modifier indicator is 1 and documentation supports a distinct service with an NCCI-associated modifier.

Column 2 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
36591Draw blood off venous device0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
36592Collect blood from picc0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
96523Irrig drug delivery device0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
97035App mdlty 1+ultrasound ea 151 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
97602Wound(s) care non-selective0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
97607Neg prs wnd thr ndme<=50sqcm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
97608Neg prs wnd ther ndme>50sqcm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair

97610 is bundled into these codes

97610 appears as a Column 2 code in 19 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 97610 is the code that denies.

Column 1 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
11000Dbrdmt ecz/infected skin<10%1Check pair
11004Dbrdmt skin xtrnl gent&per1Check pair
11005Dbrdmt skin abdominal wall1Check pair
11006Dbrdmt skin xtrnl gent per1Check pair
11010Debride skin at fx site1Check pair
11011Debride skin musc at fx site1Check pair
11012Deb skin bone at fx site1Check pair
11042Dbrdmt subq tis 1st 20sqcm/<1Check pair
11043Dbrdmt musc&/fsca 1st 20/<1Check pair
11044Dbrdmt bone 1st 20 sq cm/<1Check pair
11720Debride nail 1-51Check pair
11721Debride nail 6 or more1Check pair
97597Dbrdmt opn wnd 1st 20 cm/<1Check pair
97598Dbrdmt opn wnd addl 20cm/<1Check pair
97605Neg prs wnd ther dme<=50sqcm1Check pair

Data: CMS CY2026 Physician Fee Schedule RVU file (October release, RVU26D) and Medicare NCCI PTP practitioner edits v32.3 (2026 Q4). Verify against the official files before billing or contracting decisions.