$30.47–$36.61
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.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
97113 Aquatic therapy Medicare reimbursement rates in California
Report aquatic therapeutic exercise for direct, one-on-one treatment in a pool when water supports strengthening, range of motion, balance, or mobility goals. Compare 97113 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in California.
Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.
What does Medicare pay for 97113 in California?
California has 29 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 29 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$39.18–$47.84
29 of 29 localities have a supported rate.
Lowest: Chico
Highest: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty)
A spread of $8.66 per service.
Facility setting
No supported rate
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Where 97113 pays more and less in California
29 payment localities
$39.18 to $47.84
Physical medicine and rehabilitation
About 97113: Aquatic therapeutic exercise, each 15 minutes
Report aquatic therapeutic exercise for direct, one-on-one treatment in a pool when water supports strengthening, range of motion, balance, or mobility goals.
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.
CMS billing rules for 97113
- Professional and technical components
- Therapy service: the professional component modifier does not apply.
- Multiple procedures
- Therapy multiple procedure payment reduction: practice expense is reduced for the second and later therapy units on the same day.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU0.48 · 43%
- Practice expense (office) RVU0.62 · 56%
- Malpractice RVU0.01 · 1%
1.6M
Medicare services in 2024 · #98 by national volume
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.
97113 compared with similar codes
Office rates for California, from the same CMS release.
$18.82–$22.49
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.
$30.47–$36.61
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.
$34.37–$41.35
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.
Compare 97113 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
29 of 29 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield | Office $39.24 | Facility Unavailable |
| Chico | Office $39.18 | Facility Unavailable |
| El Centro | Office $39.18 | Facility Unavailable |
| Fresno | Office $39.18 | Facility Unavailable |
| Hanford-Corcoran | Office $39.18 | Facility Unavailable |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (Los Angeles/Orange Cnty) | Office $41.41 | Facility Unavailable |
| Madera | Office $39.18 | Facility Unavailable |
| Merced | Office $39.18 | Facility Unavailable |
| Modesto | Office $39.18 | Facility Unavailable |
| Napa | Office $44.51 | Facility Unavailable |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | Office $41.17 | Facility Unavailable |
| Redding | Office $39.18 | Facility Unavailable |
| Rest Of California | Office $39.18 | Facility Unavailable |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | Office $39.30 | Facility Unavailable |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | Office $40.87 | Facility Unavailable |
| Salinas | Office $40.71 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | Office $41.46 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (Marin Cnty) | Office $46.91 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa Cnty) | Office $46.90 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty) | Office $47.84 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (Santa Clara Cnty) | Office $47.79 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | Office $40.07 | Facility Unavailable |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | Office $41.71 | Facility Unavailable |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | Office $40.81 | Facility Unavailable |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | Office $42.12 | Facility Unavailable |
| Stockton | Office $39.18 | Facility Unavailable |
| Vallejo | Office $44.49 | Facility Unavailable |
| Visalia | Office $39.18 | Facility Unavailable |
| Yuba City | Office $39.18 | Facility Unavailable |
Need rates for a whole code list?
Fee-sheet and API access are in early access. Tell us which codes and locations your team needs.
97113 billing questions
When should 97113 be reported instead of 97110?
Use 97113 when exercise is performed in a pool and the water is part of the therapeutic intervention. Use 97110 for land-based therapeutic exercise.
Can aquatic therapy be billed for a group class in the pool?
97113 requires direct one-on-one contact. For group-directed pool exercise provided to two or more patients simultaneously, report the untimed group therapy code 97150 instead.
How are units counted for 97113?
Count direct one-on-one treatment minutes. Under Medicare's 8-minute rule, 8 to 22 minutes supports one unit and 23 to 37 minutes supports two units when 97113 is the only timed therapy service; when multiple timed services are furnished, determine total units from their combined timed minutes and allocate units to the services performed.
Should gait or balance work done in the pool be coded separately as 97116 or 97112?
Water walking and balance exercises performed as part of aquatic therapy are included in 97113 for those minutes. Separate 97116 or 97112 units require distinct treatment time for the respective intervention.
What documentation supports medical necessity for aquatic rather than land therapy?
Document why the water environment supports treatment, such as pain or limited weight-bearing tolerance during land exercise. Record the exercises performed, direct treatment minutes, and their connection to the patient's goals.
Does the therapy reduction apply to every 97113 unit?
No. Medicare reduces the practice expense portion for second and later therapy units on the same day, including additional 97113 units; it does not reduce every unit solely because 97113 was reported.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense, and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.
Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.
12,85897039,,Unlisted modality,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,7,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
12,85997110,,Therapeutic exercises,A,,0.45,0.41,,0.41,NA,0.01,0.87,0.87,7,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,5,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
12,86097112,,Neuromuscular reeducation,A,,0.50,0.47,,0.47,NA,0.01,0.98,0.98,7,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,5,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
12,86197113,,Aquatic therapy/exercises,A,,0.48,0.62,,0.62,NA,0.01,1.11,1.11,7,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,5,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
12,86297116,,Gait training therapy,A,,0.45,0.41,,0.41,NA,0.01,0.87,0.87,7,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,5,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
12,86397124,,Massage therapy,A,,0.35,0.53,,0.53,NA,0.01,0.89,0.89,7,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,5,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
12,86497129,,Ther ivntj 1st 15 min,A,,0.50,0.16,,0.08,,0.01,0.67,0.59,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00