CPT code 97022: Whirlpool therapy, agitated water immersion2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Louisiana
Reports agitated-water immersion used as a physical medicine modality, such as for selected extremity stiffness or wound-care treatment.
Medicare pays $14.57–$15.17 for 97022 in the office in Louisiana, from Rest of Louisiana to New Orleans, LA. Which amount applies depends on the service address.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
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On this page 9 sections
What 97022 covers
Whirlpool therapy immerses an affected limb or other body area in agitated water as a physical medicine modality. Physical and occupational therapists use it in rehabilitation and wound-care treatment plans, for example when treating an extremity with restricted motion or a wound for which water-based treatment is selected. The service may be furnished in an outpatient therapy department or hospital-based rehabilitation setting.
Report 97022 for the whirlpool modality itself, not for a contrast bath, compression device, or simple hot or cold pack. Documentation should identify the treated area, the clinical reason for selecting immersion, the treatment delivered, and the patient’s response. This is an untimed therapy service, not a 15-minute modality code, and the professional-component modifier does not apply. Under the CMS therapy multiple procedure payment reduction, practice expense is reduced for the second and later therapy units furnished to the same patient on the same day.
This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.
Where 97022 pays more and less in Louisiana
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans, LA | $15.17 | Unavailable |
| Rest of Louisiana | $14.57 | Unavailable |
How the 97022 rate is calculated
Each of 97022’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 97022
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.17
0.17 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.29
0.29 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.01
0.01 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
0.4700
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$15.70
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 97022
The CMS indicators that decide how 97022 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 97022
Whirlpool therapy, agitated water immersion
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | XXX | The global surgery concept doesn’t apply. |
| Multiple procedures | 5 | Therapy reduction: practice expense of the second and later units is reduced. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 7 | Therapy service: the split doesn’t apply. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier CQ · payment effect
With and without the modifier
97022 without CQ · national office
$15.70
Whirlpool therapy, agitated water immersion
97022-CQ · Allowed amount unchanged
$15.70
Medicare cuts its own payment by 15% after the patient’s 20% coinsurance; the allowed amount stays the same. On $100 allowed: $20 coinsurance, then Medicare pays $68 instead of $80.
97022 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 97034Contrast bathsEach 15 minutes
- 97022 describes agitated-water immersion. 97034 is for contrast baths that alternate warm and cool water.
- 97036HydrotherapyHubbard tank, each 15 minutes
- 97022 is whirlpool treatment. 97036 identifies treatment using a Hubbard tank, a distinct immersion modality.
- 97016Vasopneumatic therapySupervised, untimed compression modality
- 97022 uses agitated water; 97016 uses a vasopneumatic device to apply compression.
- 97018Paraffin therapySuperficial heat modality
- 97022 involves water immersion. 97018 uses heated paraffin, often for a hand or foot.
97022 billing questions
When should 97022 be chosen instead of 97034?
Use 97022 for immersion in agitated water. Use 97034 when treatment consists of alternating warm and cool water baths.
Is 97022 billed in 15-minute units?
No. It is an untimed modality, rather than a 15-minute service. Document the treatment provided and do not calculate units from elapsed time.
Can 97022 be reported with another therapy service on the same day?
It may be reported when the whirlpool treatment and the other service are distinct services that were performed and documented. CMS reduces practice expense for the second and later therapy units on the same day.
Should modifier 26 be appended to 97022?
No. The CMS component rule identifies this as a therapy service for which the professional-component modifier does not apply.
What documentation supports reporting 97022?
Record the body area immersed, why whirlpool treatment was selected, what treatment was delivered, and the patient’s response.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
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