CPT code 97597: Selective wound debridement, first 20 sq cm or less2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in North Carolina

In North Carolina, Medicare pays $95.92 for 97597 in the office and $30.17 when it’s performed in a hospital or facility.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 97597 nationwide

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

What 97597 covers

This service removes nonviable material from an open wound surface without removing subcutaneous tissue. Targets include fibrin, slough, exudate, debris, biofilm, and devitalized epidermis or dermis. Common methods are sharp selective debridement with forceps, scissors, scalpel, or curette, and high-pressure waterjet. The service includes wound assessment, topical applications, and instructions for ongoing care. Physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, podiatrists, and physical therapists perform it in wound care clinics, offices, outpatient therapy departments, and nursing facilities. Typical wounds are diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, pressure injuries, and slow-healing surgical wounds.

Report one unit per session for the first 20 sq cm or less of combined surface area across all wounds selectively debrided. Use 97598 for each additional 20 sq cm or part of it. Documentation should give each wound's location and length times width, the tissue removed, the instrument or method, and the depth reached. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day pre- and post-procedure care is included. Modifier 50 is inappropriate; no bilateral adjustment is available. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted. An assistant is paid only when medical necessity is documented.

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.

How North Carolina compares for 97597

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the office rate for 97597 runs from $90.18 in Arkansas to $136.59 in San Benito County, CA. North Carolina pays $95.92. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

97597 rates by state

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

See 97597 in every payment locality

How the 97597 rate is calculated

Each of 97597’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 97597

The CMS indicators that decide how 97597 is paid alongside other services.

Codes related to 97597

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

How 97597 has changed in North Carolina

Price 97597 for an earlier date of service

Where the North Carolina rate applies

North Carolina is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 785 cities and communities in North Carolina. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Aberdeen
• Advance
• Ahoskie
• Alamance
• Albemarle
• Alexis
• Alliance
• Altamahaw

Browse all communities in North Carolina

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