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CPT code 97037: Laser therapy, pain management modality2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports low-level laser therapy applied to one or more areas for pain management as a rehabilitation treatment modality.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare rate · 97037

Laser therapy, pain management modality

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
0
Total RVUs
0.00
Global days
XXX

National rate · 2026

—

Not priced in the facility setting.

See every locality for 97037 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 97037 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 97037 covers

Low-level laser therapy (LLLT), also called photobiomodulation, applies low-level light to one or more body areas for pain management. Rehabilitation clinicians use this modality as a treatment service, including in physical and occupational therapy settings. It identifies a light-based modality rather than infrared treatment, electrical stimulation, or therapeutic ultrasound. The service is selected for the modality actually delivered and the pain-management purpose; the area or areas treated should be reflected in the treatment record.

Medicare assigns 97037 physician fee schedule status N, meaning Medicare does not cover the code. The code describes application to one or more areas and does not specify a 15-minute unit. It should not be reported in 15-minute units based on neighboring modality codes. Documentation should identify the modality, treated area or areas, and pain-management purpose.

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 97037 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

97037 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailableUnavailable
AlaskaUnavailableUnavailable
ArizonaUnavailableUnavailable
ArkansasUnavailableUnavailable
Atlanta, GAUnavailableUnavailable
Austin, TXUnavailableUnavailable
Bakersfield, CAUnavailableUnavailable
Baltimore area, MDUnavailableUnavailable
Beaumont, TXUnavailableUnavailable
Brazoria, TXUnavailableUnavailable

97037 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

Explore a state

Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

View every state and territory as a table
97037 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the 97037 rate is calculated

Each of 97037’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 · 97037

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work0.00

0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense0.00

0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice0.00

0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

0.0000

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$0.00

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 97037

97037 has no global surgery period, no multiple-procedure, bilateral or assistant-at-surgery adjustment, and no professional/technical split. What changes the payment is where the service happens: the place of service on the claim decides whether Medicare pays the office or the facility rate.

Place of service · 97037

Which rate does Medicare pay?

The POS code on the claim line (CMS-1500 box 24B).

POS 11 · non-facility rate · national

—

97037 isn’t priced in this setting.

97037 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 97037

    Laser therapy, pain management modality0 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 97026

    Infrared therapy0.06 wRVU

    $6.68

  • 97032

    Electrical stimulation, attended, timed modality0.25 wRVU

    $14.70

  • 97039

    Unlisted modality0 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

97026Infrared therapy
Use 97037 for low-level laser therapy for pain; 97026 describes infrared therapy.
97032Electrical stimulationAttended, timed modality
97032 describes attended electrical stimulation, not low-level laser therapy.
97039Unlisted modality
97039 is an unlisted modality code; 97037 specifically identifies low-level laser therapy for pain management.

Codes related to 97037

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

Codes related to 97037
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
97026Infrared therapyInfrared is a distinct modality that may be used for pain treatment instead of low-level laser therapy.$5.91–$8.66
97032Electrical stimulation, attended, timed modalityAttended electrical stimulation is a different modality that may be used to address pain.$13.69–$19.11
97035Therapeutic ultrasound, constant attendance, each 15 minutesTherapeutic ultrasound is a different modality that may be used to address pain.$13.21–$18.18

97037 billing questions

Does 97037 use 15-minute units?

No. The code does not specify a 15-minute unit; do not calculate units from treatment minutes.

How is this different from infrared therapy code 97026?

97037 identifies low-level laser therapy for pain management. Code 97026 describes infrared therapy, a different modality.

Does Medicare cover 97037?

No. Medicare physician fee schedule status N means Medicare does not cover this code.

What should the treatment record document?

Identify the low-level laser modality, the area or areas treated, and the pain-management purpose.

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

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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