CPT code 97610: Ultrasound wound care, noncontact, nonthermal treatment2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $397.47 for 97610 nationally in the office and $15.36 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $343.15–$568.53.

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

What 97610 covers

This service uses low-frequency ultrasound delivered without direct probe-to-wound contact or tissue heating to treat wounds. Wound-care physicians and other qualified clinicians use it for wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, and pressure injuries. Treatment commonly takes place in an outpatient wound clinic or hospital outpatient department, using a device that delivers ultrasound through a mist or similar medium.

Report one unit for the treatment day, rather than one unit for each wound treated. The service includes wound assessment and instructions for ongoing care, so document the wound sites and condition, the ultrasound treatment provided, and the care instructions. CMS assigns practice expense values by setting in the Physician Fee Schedule.

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 97610 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

97610 rates by state

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

How the 97610 rate is calculated

Each of 97610’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 97610

97610 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.

97610 compared with similar codes

How to choose

97602Wound debridementNonselective method

Choose 97610 for low-frequency ultrasound treatment. Choose 97602 for nonselective wound care or debridement, such as wet-to-moist dressing care or enzymatic treatment.

97605Wound therapyDME, 50 sq cm or less

97605 describes negative pressure wound therapy with durable medical equipment in its smaller wound-area category; 97610 describes ultrasound treatment.

97607Negative pressure therapyNonpowered, up to 50 cm²

97607 describes negative pressure wound therapy using a disposable device in its smaller wound-area category; it is not the ultrasound service reported with 97610.

Codes related to 97610

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