Billing code 97113: Aquatic therapyMedicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $37.07 for 97113 nationally in the office. Local office rates run $33.99–$47.84.

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

What 97113 covers

Aquatic therapy uses exercise in a pool, where buoyancy reduces joint loading and water provides resistance. Physical therapists, occupational therapists, and supervised therapy assistants provide it to patients who have difficulty tolerating land-based activity, including those recovering from joint replacement or managing osteoarthritis or neurologic weakness. Treatment may include water walking, resisted limb movements, balance drills, and flexibility exercises. The clinician provides direct one-on-one contact, whether working from the pool deck or in the water.

Report 97113 in 15-minute units based on direct treatment time, not the patient's total time in the pool. Documentation should identify the exercises, direct treatment minutes, and why the aquatic environment supports the plan of care. For Medicare, identify the therapy discipline with GP or GO, as appropriate, and determine units using the total timed therapy minutes furnished that day. This therapy service has no separate professional component for modifier 26. Under Medicare's therapy multiple procedure payment reduction, the practice expense portion is reduced for the second and later therapy units on the same day, including additional 97113 units.

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 97113 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

97113 rates by state

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

How the 97113 rate is calculated

Each of 97113’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 97113

The CMS indicators that decide how 97113 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

97113 compared with similar codes

How to choose

97110Therapeutic exercise

Both are timed exercise codes. Use 97113 when exercise is performed in a pool using the properties of water; use 97110 for land-based therapeutic exercise.

97150Group therapy

97113 requires direct one-on-one contact and is reported in 15-minute units. Use untimed 97150 for group-directed therapy provided to two or more patients simultaneously.

97116Gait training

97116 covers distinct gait-training time, such as instruction in walking with an assistive device on land. Water walking performed as aquatic therapy is reported under 97113 for those minutes.

97112Neuromuscular reeducation

97112 covers distinct neuromuscular reeducation time, such as land-based balance training. Balance exercises performed as aquatic therapy are reported under 97113 for those minutes.

Codes related to 97113

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