CPT code 97533: Sensory integration, per 15 minutes2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $60.79 for 97533 nationally in the office. Local office rates run $54.36–$82.03.

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

What 97533 covers

An occupational therapist typically uses structured sensory experiences to help a patient process input and respond more effectively to everyday demands. Treatment may involve tactile, movement, or deep-pressure activities selected to address the patient’s functional needs, such as tolerating sensory input during dressing, play, or daily routines. This service is commonly provided in outpatient therapy settings, including pediatric practices, when skilled intervention is directed at sensory processing and adaptive responses rather than general exercise or task practice.

Report the service in 15-minute units for documented, direct one-on-one treatment. The record should identify the sensory techniques used, the patient’s response, and how the intervention addressed functional goals. This is a therapy service, so a professional-component modifier does not apply. Under the CMS therapy multiple procedure payment reduction, practice expense is reduced for the second and each later therapy unit furnished 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 97533 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

97533 rates by state

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

How the 97533 rate is calculated

Each of 97533’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.

Payment rules and modifiers for 97533

The CMS indicators that decide how 97533 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

97533 compared with similar codes

How to choose

97530Therapeutic activitiesOne-on-one, each 15 minutes

Choose 97533 for treatment directed at sensory processing and adaptive responses. Choose 97530 for skilled practice of functional activities and tasks.

97535Self-care trainingADL and home management, per 15 minutes

97535 describes training in self-care and daily living skills. It is not the sensory-processing intervention described by 97533.

97112Neuromuscular reeducationBalance, coordination, proprioception, timed

97112 focuses on neuromuscular reeducation, such as movement, balance, coordination, or posture training. Use 97533 when the intervention specifically targets sensory processing and adaptive responses.

Codes related to 97533

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

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