CPT code 97602: Wound debridement, nonselective method2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California

CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 97602 in California.

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

What 97602 covers

This wound-care service involves nonselectively loosening or removing devitalized material from a wound, using methods such as cleansing, abrasion, enzymatic agents, or dressing-based treatment. The session may also include topical wound treatments, wound assessment, and instructions for ongoing care. Physicians, therapists, and other clinicians who provide wound care may perform it in outpatient wound clinics, practices, or therapy settings.

Medicare assigns this CPT code physician fee schedule status B. The service is bundled, so Medicare never pays it separately under this code; its payment is included in payment for other services. Report the service per session, not by wound area or tissue depth. Selective debridement involves targeted tissue removal, while surgical debridement is described by the tissue depth treated.

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 97602 pays more and less in California

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

29 of 29 payment localities

How the 97602 rate is calculated

Each of 97602’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 97602

97602 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.

97602 compared with similar codes

How to choose

97597Selective wound debridementFirst 20 sq cm or less

This code describes nonselective wound treatment. Use 97597 when the clinician selectively removes devitalized tissue.

97598Wound debridementEach additional 20 cm²

97598 is an add-on for additional area selectively debrided with 97597. It is not an area-based unit for nonselective treatment.

11042Wound debridementSubcutaneous tissue, first 20 sq cm

11042 describes surgical debridement to subcutaneous tissue. This code describes nonselective wound treatment rather than removal to a specified tissue depth.

97605Wound therapyDME, 50 sq cm or less

97605 describes negative-pressure wound therapy using durable medical equipment for a smaller wound area. This code describes nonselective wound debridement, not suction therapy.

Codes related to 97602

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