CPT code 95970: Neurostimulator analysis2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports electronic assessment of an implanted spinal cord or peripheral nerve stimulator when the device is checked without changing its programmed settings.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities30.7K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $19.71 for 95970 nationally in the office and $16.03 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $18.23–$25.56.

Medicare rate · 95970

Neurostimulator analysis

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
0.35
Total RVUs
0.59
Global days
XXX

National rate · 2026

$19.71

Office setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 95970 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

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

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 95970 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 95970 covers

CPT 95970 captures electronic interrogation of an implanted neurostimulator pulse generator for a spinal cord or peripheral nerve system when the visit assesses device operation without changing its programmed settings. The clinician reviews available device information, such as operating status, stored diagnostics, or battery status, and evaluates system function. This service commonly occurs during follow-up for patients with implanted spinal cord stimulation for chronic pain or peripheral nerve stimulation, in pain medicine, neurology, or neurosurgery settings. It concerns the implanted generator system, rather than EEG or intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring.

Report the code when documentation supports device analysis without programming. Identify the implanted system and its site, describe the analysis performed and findings, and distinguish interrogation from parameter changes. If stimulation parameters are adjusted, choose the applicable with-programming code based on device type and service complexity. CMS valuation includes physician work, practice expense, and malpractice; practice-expense values differ 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 95970 pays more and less

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

109 payment localities

$18.23 to $25.56

$18.23$21.89$25.56
One dot per payment locality, office / nonfacility. Hover a dot to see the locality; select it to open that rate.

109 of 109 payment localities

95970 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
Alabama$18.39$15.18
Alaska$25.56$21.64
Arizona$19.34$15.78
Arkansas$18.23$15.08
Atlanta, GA$20.06$16.32
Austin, TX$20.02$16.14
Bakersfield, CA$20.21$16.18
Baltimore area, MD$20.64$16.70
Beaumont, TX$19.00$15.66
Brazoria, TX$19.52$15.88

95970 rates by state

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

Explore a state

Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

$18.23

$25.56

Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.

View every state and territory as a table
95970 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AK$25.561
AL$18.391
AR$18.231
AZ$19.341
CA$20.11–$23.6329
CO$20.081
CT$20.691
DC$21.701
DE$19.581
FL$19.90–$21.533
GA$19.14–$20.062
GU$20.251
HI$20.251
IA$18.511
ID$18.621
IL$19.66–$21.124
IN$18.681
KS$18.541
KY$18.841
LA$18.86–$19.432
MA$20.06–$21.442
MD$19.83–$21.703
ME$18.77–$19.272
MI$19.23–$20.152
MN$19.201
MO$18.71–$19.373
MS$18.471
MT$19.701
NC$18.871
ND$19.111
NE$18.541
NH$19.871
NJ$20.92–$21.632
NM$19.331
NV$19.551
NY$19.06–$22.645
OH$19.101
OK$18.731
OR$19.38–$20.422
PA$19.08–$20.402
PR$19.771
RI$20.051
SC$19.021
SD$19.041
TN$18.601
TX$19.00–$20.138
UT$19.181
VA$19.29–$21.702
VI$19.771
VT$19.141
WA$19.99–$21.702
WI$18.721
WV$19.221
WY$19.451

How the 95970 rate is calculated

Each of 95970’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.

How the rate is built · 95970

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work0.35

0.35 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense0.21

0.21 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice0.03

0.03 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

0.5900

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$19.71

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 95970

95970 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.

Place of service · 95970

Which rate does Medicare pay?

The POS code on the claim line (CMS-1500 box 24B).

POS 11 · non-facility rate · national

$19.71

Non-facility (office)
$19.71
Facility
$16.03

Higher because the practice carries its own overhead.

95970 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 95970

    Neurostimulator analysis0.35 wRVU

    $19.71

  • 95971

    Neurostimulator programming0.78 wRVU

    $50.44+$30.73

  • 95972

    Stimulator programming0.8 wRVU

    $59.79+$40.08

  • 95976

    Stimulator programming0.71 wRVU

    $38.08+$18.37

  • 95983

    Brain stimulator programming0.91 wRVU

    $51.77+$32.06

How to choose

95971Neurostimulator programming
Use 95970 when the spinal or peripheral nerve stimulator is analyzed without changing settings. Use 95971 when simple programming is performed.
95972Stimulator programming
95972 represents complex programming of a spinal or peripheral nerve system; 95970 represents analysis without programming.
95976Stimulator programming
95976 is for simple programming of a cranial nerve stimulation system. Select by the implanted device system, not just by the act of interrogation.
95983Brain stimulator programming
95983 addresses programming of a brain neurostimulator. Code 95970 is for analysis without programming of a spinal cord or peripheral nerve system.

95970 billing questions

How does 95970 differ from 95971 or 95972?

95970 describes analysis without programming. Codes 95971 and 95972 describe programming for spinal cord or peripheral nerve systems, at simple and complex levels, respectively.

Does this code include changing stimulation settings?

No. It represents analysis without changing programmed settings; report the applicable with-programming code when parameters are adjusted.

Is 95970 used for cranial nerve or brain stimulators?

This code is for spinal cord or peripheral nerve systems. Cranial nerve systems have codes 95976 and 95977, while brain neurostimulator programming is represented by 95983 and 95984.

What documentation supports reporting 95970?

Document the implanted system and site, the electronic analysis performed, the findings, and that programmed settings were not changed.

Is 95970 reported in timed increments?

The service is not described in timed increments. Documentation should support the device analysis performed, rather than elapsed minutes.

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

Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
RVUs for 95970PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 12,725 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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