CPT code 97033: Iontophoresis, each 15 minutes2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Pennsylvania
Reports therapist-administered iontophoresis that uses electrical current to deliver medication through the skin during a timed rehabilitation treatment.
Medicare pays $18.20–$19.67 for 97033 in the office in Pennsylvania, from Rest of Pennsylvania to Metropolitan Philadelphia, PA. 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 97033 covers
Iontophoresis uses an electrical current to move a prescribed medication through the skin to a localized treatment area, often over an extremity with soft-tissue inflammation. Physical therapists and occupational therapists commonly provide it in outpatient rehabilitation settings; dexamethasone is one medication used for this purpose. The service is selected for medication delivery through the skin, not simply because electrical equipment is used during treatment.
Report one unit for each 15 minutes of treatment, supported by documentation of the treatment area, medication, skilled application, and time. Do not count the same treatment minutes toward another timed service. CMS treats this as a therapy service, so a professional-component modifier does not apply. When multiple therapy units are furnished on the same day, CMS reduces practice expense for the second and subsequent units.
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 97033 pays more and less in Pennsylvania
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Philadelphia, PA | $19.67 | Unavailable |
| Rest of Pennsylvania | $18.20 | Unavailable |
How the 97033 rate is calculated
Each of 97033’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 · 97033
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.26
0.26 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.30
0.30 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.01
0.01 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
0.5700
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$19.04
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 97033
The CMS indicators that decide how 97033 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 97033
Iontophoresis, each 15 minutes
| 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
97033 without CQ · national office
$19.04
Iontophoresis, each 15 minutes
97033-CQ · Allowed amount unchanged
$19.04
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.
97033 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 97032Electrical stimulationAttended, timed modality
- 97032 describes attended electrical stimulation. Use 97033 when the current is used to deliver medication through the skin.
- 97034Contrast bathsEach 15 minutes
- 97034 is for contrast-bath treatment. It does not describe medication delivery through the skin by electrical current.
- 97035Therapeutic ultrasoundConstant attendance, each 15 minutes
- 97035 describes therapeutic ultrasound. Use 97033 for iontophoresis medication delivery, not ultrasound treatment.
97033 billing questions
How is this different from electrical stimulation?
Iontophoresis delivers medication through the skin using current. Report 97032 when the service is attended electrical stimulation rather than transdermal medication delivery.
How many units should be reported?
Each unit represents 15 minutes of iontophoresis treatment. Document the treatment time and do not count minutes already assigned to another timed service.
What documentation supports the service?
Record the medication, treatment area, skilled application, and time spent providing iontophoresis. The record should support why medication delivery by this method was part of the rehabilitation treatment.
Should a professional-component modifier be appended?
No. CMS identifies this as a therapy service for which a professional-component modifier does not apply.
How does the therapy multiple procedure reduction affect payment?
CMS reduces practice expense for the second and later therapy units furnished on the same day. The reduction applies to practice expense, not as a reduction to the documented treatment time.
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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