CPT code 97037: Laser therapy, pain management modality2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Oregon
Reports low-level laser therapy applied to one or more areas for pain management as a rehabilitation treatment modality.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 97037 in Oregon.
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 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 in Oregon
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Portland, OR | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Rest of Oregon | Unavailable | Unavailable |
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
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
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.
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
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