$30.93
Massage describes techniques such as stroking, kneading, and percussion of soft tissue. Manual therapy describes techniques such as targeted mobilization, manual traction, or lymphatic drainage.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
97140 Manual therapy Medicare reimbursement rates in Colorado
Report timed, one-on-one manual therapy for joint or soft tissue mobilization, manual traction, or lymphatic drainage across one or more body regions. Compare 97140 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Colorado.
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 97140 in Colorado?
Colorado has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$28.66
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Colorado
One mapped payment locality.
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.
Physical therapy
About 97140: Manual therapy techniques, each 15 minutes
Report timed, one-on-one manual therapy for joint or soft tissue mobilization, manual traction, or lymphatic drainage across one or more body regions.
Manual therapy involves skilled, hands-on treatment applied directly to the patient, including joint mobilization, soft tissue and myofascial mobilization, manual traction, and manual lymphatic drainage for lymphedema. Physical therapists and occupational therapists commonly provide it in outpatient clinics, private practices, and hospital outpatient departments; physicians may also perform it. Typical treatment targets include restricted shoulder motion, neck or back mobility, postoperative joint stiffness, and lymphedema.
Report 97140 for direct, one-on-one manual-therapy time, not for each region treated. Document the technique, regions, treatment minutes, and connection to the plan of care. Medicare determines the number of timed therapy units from combined timed-code minutes for the day, then assigns units to the services performed; minutes cannot be counted under two codes. Use the appropriate GP or GO modifier when reporting the service under a physical or occupational therapy plan. As a therapy service, 97140 has no professional or technical component split. Under the therapy multiple procedure payment reduction, practice expense is reduced for the second and later therapy units on the same day.
CMS billing rules for 97140
- 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 RVU0.43 · 52%
- Practice expense (office) RVU0.39 · 47%
- Malpractice RVU0.01 · 1%
29.3M
Medicare services in 2024 · #7 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.
97140 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Colorado, from the same CMS release.
$27.55
Chiropractic spinal manipulation is reported by the number of spinal regions treated, not by time. Manual therapy is timed; treatment of the same anatomical region is not separately reportable with the manipulation.
$33.86
Neuromuscular reeducation trains balance, coordination, proprioception, or movement control through patient activity. Manual therapy is hands-on treatment applied to joints or soft tissue.
$30.04
Therapeutic exercise involves the patient performing exercises for strength, range of motion, or endurance. Report manual therapy for the distinct minutes spent delivering a hands-on manual technique.
Compare 97140 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.
1 of 1 payment localities
Colorado →
Office / nonfacility
$28.66
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.
Physical therapy
Compare selected outpatient therapy base rates before claim-level adjustments.
How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 97140 in Colorado.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
12,867
- Code
- 97140
- Physician work
- 0.43
- Practice expense
- 0.39
- Malpractice
- 0.01
GPCI2026.csv
37
- Locality
- Colorado
- Physician work
- 1.012
- Practice expense
- 1.064
- Malpractice
- 0.781
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 0.43 | × 1.012 | 0.4352 |
| Practice expense | 0.39 | × 1.064 | 0.4150 |
| Malpractice | 0.01 | × 0.781 | 0.0078 |
| Total RVUs | 0.8579 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Colorado$28.66
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.43 | 1.012 |
| Practice expense | 0.39 | 1.064 |
| Malpractice | 0.01 | 0.781 |
(0.43 × 1.012 + 0.39 × 1.064 + 0.01 × 0.781) × $33.4009 = $28.66
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
97140 billing questions
Do I bill one unit per body region treated?
No. Regions do not determine units; direct treatment minutes do. Fifteen minutes of manual therapy across the cervical and thoracic spine is one timed unit when no other timed service changes the day's unit allocation.
Can manual therapy be billed with chiropractic spinal manipulation on the same day?
Manual therapy on the same anatomical region as spinal manipulation is not separately reportable. A distinct region may support modifier 59 or XS on 97140 when documentation meets the applicable NCCI edit requirements; Medicare does not cover 97140 when furnished by a chiropractor.
How is manual therapy different from massage?
Massage covers techniques such as stroking, kneading, and percussion of soft tissue. Choose 97140 for a documented manual-therapy technique such as joint mobilization, manual traction, or lymphatic drainage; do not count the same treatment minutes under both codes.
Can manual lymphatic drainage be reported with this code?
Yes. Document the drainage technique, treated region, and direct treatment minutes. Applying compression bandaging afterward does not automatically create another 97140 unit or a separately billable service.
What modifiers are used on Medicare therapy claims for 97140?
Use GP for treatment under a physical therapy plan or GO for treatment under an occupational therapy plan. Use modifier 59 or an appropriate X modifier only when a documented, distinct service meets the requirements for overriding an applicable NCCI edit.
Are Medicare claims from chiropractors for this code payable?
No. Medicare coverage for services furnished by chiropractors is limited to qualifying spinal manipulation for subluxation; it does not cover manual therapy furnished by a chiropractor.
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.
12,86497129,,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
12,86897150,,Group therapeutic procedures,A,,0.29,0.24,,0.24,NA,0.01,0.54,0.54,7,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,5,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
12,86997151,,Bhv id assmt by phys/qhp,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
12,87097152,,Bhv id suprt assmt by 1 tech,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3401112,CA,69,VISALIA,1.017,1.096,0.536
3501112,CA,70,YUBA CITY,1.017,1.096,0.536
3601112,CA,75,REST OF CALIFORNIA,1.017,1.096,0.536
3704112,CO,01,COLORADO,1.012,1.064,0.781
3813102,CT,00,CONNECTICUT,1.020,1.077,1.210
3912202,DC,01,DC + MD/VA SUBURBS,1.054,1.178,1.113
4012102,DE,01,DELAWARE,1.005,0.988,0.899