CPT code 97804: Group nutrition therapy, two or more patients2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $17.03 for 97804 nationally in the office and $12.36 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $15.70–$21.60.

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

What 97804 covers

This service covers nutrition counseling delivered to two or more patients together by a registered dietitian or other qualified nutrition professional. The session may address topics such as meal planning, nutrition-related health goals, and strategies for managing a condition through diet. It is distinct from a one-to-one nutrition assessment or follow-up, even when the subject matter is similar.

Report the service in 30-minute units for each patient who participates in the group session. Documentation should support the session duration, group format, nutrition topics addressed, and each patient’s attendance and participation. Choose the individual nutrition therapy codes when the professional provides one-to-one care rather than a shared session. Under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, this code has work, practice expense, and malpractice RVUs; the practice expense RVU differs between office and facility settings.

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 97804 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

97804 rates by state

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

How the 97804 rate is calculated

Each of 97804’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 97804

97804 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.

97804 compared with similar codes

How to choose

97802Medical nutrition therapyIndividual, initial assessment

Use 97802 for an initial one-to-one nutrition therapy service. Use 97804 when two or more patients receive counseling together.

97803Nutrition therapyIndividual, subsequent visit

Use 97803 for subsequent individual nutrition therapy. A shared group session is reported with 97804 instead.

G0271Group nutrition therapySecond referral, 30 minutes

G0271 describes group nutrition therapy for qualifying additional services following a change in condition, diagnosis, or treatment regimen; 97804 is the general group service code.

Codes related to 97804

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