G0283 vs 97014: Unattended E-Stim Billing for Medicare
G0283 vs 97014: Medicare doesn't accept 97014 for unattended electrical stimulation; bill G0283, one unit a day. Wound care, attended 97032, NCCI and live rates.
On this page 8 sections
For Medicare, unattended electrical stimulation is billed with HCPCS G0283, not CPT 97014. CMS gives 97014 status I on the physician fee schedule, which means it isn't valid for Medicare claims because Medicare uses another code for the service. G0283 is untimed: one unit per day, however many areas are treated. Other payers may still want 97014, so check before you change a commercial claim.
Key takeaways
- Medicare: G0283 for unattended e-stim as part of a therapy plan of care. 97014 is rejected.
- G0283 is one unit per day (MUE 1), untimed, with GP. Its minutes don't count toward the 8-minute rule.
- E-stim for wound care is a different code, G0281, covered only for certain chronic ulcers. Other wound-care e-stim (G0282) isn't covered.
- Attended, one-on-one e-stim is 97032, a timed 15-minute code. G0283 and 97032 have an NCCI edit.
- Commercial, Medicaid and workers' comp payers set their own rules; some accept 97014.
G0283 vs 97014 at a glance
| G0283 | 97014 | |
|---|---|---|
| Code set | HCPCS Level II (CMS) | CPT (AMA) |
| Medicare status | A: active, paid on the fee schedule | I: not valid for Medicare; Medicare uses another code |
| What it's for | Unattended e-stim, one or more areas, not for wound care, under a therapy plan of care | Unattended e-stim (the CPT version of the same service) |
| Units | 1 per day, untimed | 1 per day, untimed, where a payer accepts it |
| Who uses it | Medicare claims, and payers that follow Medicare coding | Payers that don't follow Medicare's HCPCS substitution |
CMS's own descriptor for G0283 is public HCPCS text: "Electrical stimulation (unattended), to one or more areas for indication(s) other than wound care, as part of a therapy plan of care."
Why Medicare uses G0283 instead of 97014
Status I in the CMS relative value file means "not valid for Medicare purposes"; Medicare uses another code for reporting and paying for the service. For unattended e-stim that code is G0283. A Medicare claim line with 97014 isn't paid, and fixing it is a coding correction, not an appeal. The unit, the documentation and the GP modifier don't change.
Medicare rate · G0283
Electrical stimulation
- Work RVUs
- 0.18
- Total RVUs
- 0.38
- Global days
- XXX
National rate · 2026
$12.69
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for G0283 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →
The rate is small next to the timed codes, but it's still subject to the therapy multiple procedure reduction (multiple-procedure indicator 5): if G0283 isn't the service with the highest practice expense that day, half its practice expense is cut (Claims Processing Manual, ch. 5, §10.7).
Therapy MPPR
Same-day therapy units after the practice-expense reduction
National payment after MPPR
$60.79
Without the reduction: $70.81 · reduction $10.02 (14.2%)
G0283, G0281, G0282 and 97032: which e-stim code?
| Situation | Medicare code | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Unattended e-stim (electrodes placed, patient not one-on-one), not wound care | G0283 | One unit per day; GP; documented in the plan of care |
| E-stim for a chronic wound that hasn't healed with conventional care | G0281 | Covered only for certain chronic ulcers under NCD 270.1; one unit per day (MUE 1) |
| E-stim for other wound care | G0282 | Status N: not covered by Medicare |
| Attended e-stim with constant one-on-one contact | 97032 | Timed, 15-minute units, counted under the 8-minute rule; MUE 4 per day |
| Swallowing treatment that uses e-stim (SLP) | 92526 | NCCI: don't add G0283 for e-stim during the procedure (indicator 0) |
NCCI edits for G0283
In the current practitioner PTP table (version 32.3, effective October 1, 2026):
- G0283 with 97032: G0283 is column 1, 97032 column 2, indicator 1. Both are payable only when the attended and unattended stimulation were separate services, with 59 or the matching X modifier on 97032.
- G0283 with 97164: indicator 1; a re-evaluation on the same day needs to be a genuine, separately justified re-evaluation (see PT evaluation codes).
- 92526 with G0283: indicator 0 for practitioners. The NCCI manual explains that the same practitioner doesn't do both for the same patient on one date (ch. XI).
- With timed exercise codes: there's no edit between G0283 and 97110, 97112, 97140 or 97530, so no modifier is needed. G0283's minutes still aren't timed minutes and don't add units.
Documenting G0283
Note the type of stimulation, the area or areas, the parameters, the duration and the purpose in the plan of care (pain, edema, muscle activation), and record it as an untimed service in the treatment note so the total treatment time adds up (Benefit Policy Manual, ch. 15, §220.3.E). Every line needs GP, and KX once the patient passes the yearly therapy threshold.
Two coverage limits to keep in mind:
- Chiropractors. Medicare covers only manual manipulation of the spine to correct a subluxation when a chiropractor furnishes it; e-stim from a chiropractor isn't covered (Benefit Policy Manual, ch. 15, §30.5).
- Home units. A home TENS unit is durable medical equipment with its own coverage rules, not G0283.
When other payers want 97014
97014 is still an active CPT code. Payers that don't adopt Medicare's HCPCS substitutions, including some commercial plans, Medicaid programs and workers' comp schedules, may require 97014 and reject G0283. Their fee schedules are frequently set as a percentage of Medicare or built on Medicare's RVUs, so the G0283 amount above is the usual benchmark even when the claim says 97014. Look up the payer's therapy policy and build your charge master so the code switches by payer.
FAQ
Is 97014 billable to Medicare?
No. 97014 has status I on the Medicare physician fee schedule: not valid for Medicare. Bill G0283 for unattended electrical stimulation instead.
What is the difference between G0283 and 97014?
They describe the same service. G0283 is the HCPCS code Medicare requires for unattended e-stim outside wound care; 97014 is the CPT code that some non-Medicare payers still accept.
How many units of G0283 can you bill?
One per day. G0283 is untimed and covers one or more areas, and Medicare's practitioner MUE is 1 unit per date of service.
Can G0283 and 97032 be billed together?
Only when attended and unattended stimulation were separate services. NCCI pairs them with indicator 1, so the 97032 line needs 59 or an X modifier and documentation of separate time.
Is G0283 a timed code?
No. It's billed once per day regardless of duration, and its minutes don't count toward the 8-minute rule total for timed codes.
Does G0283 need the GP modifier?
Yes. Medicare requires a therapy modifier on G0283: GP under a PT plan of care, GO under an OT plan.
Keep reading
- Physical therapy CPT codes: the hub for every PT code, rule and tool on FeeBase.
- 8-minute rule calculator: why untimed codes like G0283 don't add timed units.
- Medicare physical therapy fee schedule: G0283, 97032 and the "often confused" codes for your ZIP.
- 97140 vs 97530 for the therapy NCCI edits that still need a modifier.
- Codes in this guide: G0283 97014 G0281 97032 97110 97164
Sources: CMS RVU26D relative value file (status and multiple-procedure indicators); CMS HCPCS Level II descriptors for G0281–G0283; NCD 270.1; Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Pub. 100-04, ch. 5, §10.7 and §20.2; Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Pub. 100-02, ch. 15, §30.5 and §220.3.E; Medicare NCCI Policy Manual (2026), ch. XI; CMS NCCI practitioner PTP edits v32.3 and practitioner MUE table, effective October 1, 2026. Rates from the CMS release shown on each widget. Verified October 7, 2026.
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