$21.80–$25.02
97129 covers the initial 15 minutes of cognitive intervention; 97130 reports each additional 15-minute increment and is used with the primary service.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
97129 Cognitive therapy Medicare reimbursement rates in California
Reports direct, individual cognitive treatment addressing skills such as attention, memory, reasoning, or executive function and strategies for daily activities. Compare 97129 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 97129 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
$23.02–$26.42
29 of 29 localities have a supported rate.
Lowest: Chico
Highest: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty)
A spread of $3.40 per service.
Facility setting
$20.09–$22.57
29 of 29 localities have a supported rate.
Lowest: Chico
Highest: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty)
A spread of $2.48 per service.
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 97129 pays more and less in California
29 payment localities
$23.02 to $26.42
Rehabilitation therapy
About 97129: Cognitive function intervention, initial time
Reports direct, individual cognitive treatment addressing skills such as attention, memory, reasoning, or executive function and strategies for daily activities.
This service covers one-on-one treatment to improve or compensate for cognitive difficulties that interfere with everyday tasks. Occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists commonly use structured activities and functional tasks to address attention, memory, reasoning, problem solving, organization, or sequencing. Treatment may follow a stroke or traumatic brain injury, for example, when cognitive limitations affect a patient’s ability to manage a schedule or complete a multistep task. It is furnished in settings such as an outpatient rehabilitation clinic or skilled nursing facility.
Report 97129 for the initial 15 minutes of direct cognitive intervention with the individual patient. The note should identify the cognitive limitation, functional goal, treatment activity or compensatory strategy, skilled therapist involvement, time, and patient response. For additional treatment time, 97130 is the related add-on code; it represents each additional 15-minute increment. Choose this service for cognitive intervention rather than exercise for strength or range of motion, balance or coordination retraining, or a cognitive evaluation without treatment.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU0.50 · 75%
- Practice expense (office) RVU0.16 · 24%
- Malpractice RVU0.01 · 1%
314.8K
Medicare services in 2024 · #301 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.
97129 compared with similar codes
Office rates for California, from the same CMS release.
$34.37–$41.35
Choose 97112 for neuromuscular reeducation focused on movement control, balance, or coordination. Choose 97129 for direct treatment of cognitive skills or compensatory strategies.
$30.47–$36.61
97110 covers therapeutic exercise for physical impairments such as weakness or limited range of motion. 97129 targets cognitive function and performance of activities.
Compare 97129 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 $23.08 | Facility $20.15 |
| Chico | Office $23.02 | Facility $20.09 |
| El Centro | Office $23.02 | Facility $20.09 |
| Fresno | Office $23.02 | Facility $20.09 |
| Hanford-Corcoran | Office $23.02 | Facility $20.09 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (Los Angeles/Orange Cnty) | Office $23.93 | Facility $20.77 |
| Madera | Office $23.02 | Facility $20.09 |
| Merced | Office $23.02 | Facility $20.09 |
| Modesto | Office $23.02 | Facility $20.09 |
| Napa | Office $24.97 | Facility $21.44 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | Office $23.69 | Facility $20.53 |
| Redding | Office $23.02 | Facility $20.09 |
| Rest Of California | Office $23.02 | Facility $20.09 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | Office $23.14 | Facility $20.21 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | Office $23.70 | Facility $20.59 |
| Salinas | Office $23.59 | Facility $20.49 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | Office $23.77 | Facility $20.58 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (Marin Cnty) | Office $25.98 | Facility $22.21 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa Cnty) | Office $25.96 | Facility $22.20 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty) | Office $26.42 | Facility $22.57 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (Santa Clara Cnty) | Office $26.38 | Facility $22.52 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | Office $23.25 | Facility $20.21 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | Office $23.72 | Facility $20.48 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | Office $23.58 | Facility $20.46 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | Office $23.94 | Facility $20.66 |
| Stockton | Office $23.02 | Facility $20.09 |
| Vallejo | Office $24.95 | Facility $21.43 |
| Visalia | Office $23.02 | Facility $20.09 |
| Yuba City | Office $23.02 | Facility $20.09 |
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97129 billing questions
When should 97129 be selected instead of 97112?
Use 97129 when the skilled intervention targets cognitive functions such as attention, memory, reasoning, or task sequencing. Use 97112 when the treatment focuses on neuromuscular control, balance, coordination, or movement patterns.
Can 97130 be reported with 97129?
Yes. 97129 represents the initial 15 minutes of cognitive intervention, and 97130 is the add-on code for each additional 15-minute increment.
What should the treatment note support?
Document the functional cognitive problem, treatment goal, specific skilled activity or compensatory strategy, direct treatment time, and the patient’s response or progress.
Is 97129 an evaluation code?
No. It reports cognitive treatment. A cognitive assessment or rehabilitation evaluation is distinct from the direct intervention represented by 97129.
How is 97129 different from therapeutic exercise?
97129 addresses cognitive skills and strategies for managing activities. Use 97110 for skilled exercise directed at strength, endurance, range of motion, or flexibility.
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.
12,86197113,,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
12,86597130,,Ther ivntj ea addl 15 min,A,,0.48,0.15,,0.07,,0.00,0.63,0.55,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
12,86697139,,Unlisted therapeutic px,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
12,86797140,,Manual therapy 1/> regions,A,,0.43,0.39,,0.39,NA,0.01,0.83,0.83,7,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,5,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00