Choose 97007 for measurement and fitting of the scalp-cooling equipment; choose 97008 for preparing the system and placing the cap.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
97008 Scalp cooling Medicare reimbursement rates in Maryland
Reports preparation and placement of a mechanical scalp-cooling device for a patient receiving chemotherapy in a scalp-cooling session. Compare 97008 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Maryland.
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 97008 in Maryland?
Maryland has 3 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 3 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$10.11–$11.78
3 of 3 localities have a supported rate.
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 97008 pays more and less in Maryland
3 payment localities
$10.11 to $11.78
Oncology support
About 97008: Mechanical scalp cooling preparation and placement
Reports preparation and placement of a mechanical scalp-cooling device for a patient receiving chemotherapy in a scalp-cooling session.
During scalp cooling for a patient receiving chemotherapy, staff prepare the mechanical cooling system and position the cooling cap on the patient’s head. The cap circulates coolant to lower scalp temperature, with the aim of reducing chemotherapy-related hair loss. This service is typically performed by trained personnel in an oncology infusion setting as part of a scalp-cooling session.
Report 97008 for the preparation-and-placement stage, rather than cap measurement and fitting or cooling after chemotherapy, which are represented by adjacent scalp-cooling codes. Documentation should identify the chemotherapy encounter and cooling device, and support that preparation and placement were performed. Record the service stage so the reported code is clear. The CMS PFS assigns no physician work RVUs; its valuation includes practice-expense and malpractice RVUs.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU0.00 · 0%
- Practice expense (office) RVU0.29 · 97%
- Malpractice RVU0.01 · 3%
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.
97008 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Maryland, from the same CMS release.
97009 represents the post-chemotherapy cooling stage, while 97008 represents preparation and placement.
Hot or cold packs therapy
97010 describes hot or cold pack therapy. It is not the mechanical scalp-cooling preparation-and-placement service represented by 97008.
Compare 97008 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.
3 of 3 payment localities
Baltimore/Surr. Cntys →
Office / nonfacility
$10.81
Facility
Unavailable
Dc + Md/Va Suburbs →
Office / nonfacility
$11.78
Facility
Unavailable
Rest Of Maryland →
Office / nonfacility
$10.11
Facility
Unavailable
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97008 billing questions
When should 97008 be selected instead of 97007?
Use 97008 for preparing the mechanical cooling setup and placing the cap. Code 97007 represents the measurement-and-fitting stage.
Does 97008 cover cooling after chemotherapy?
No. It represents preparation and placement; 97009 is the adjacent code for the post-chemotherapy scalp-cooling stage.
Can 97008 be reported with a chemotherapy administration code?
The scalp-cooling preparation and placement service may occur during a chemotherapy encounter. For example, 96413 describes a qualifying chemotherapy infusion service, while 97008 describes the scalp-cooling stage; document each service performed.
What documentation supports 97008?
Document the chemotherapy encounter, the mechanical scalp-cooling device, and that staff prepared the system and placed the cap. The record should distinguish this stage from fitting or post-chemotherapy cooling.
Is 97008 selected by elapsed treatment time?
The code identifies the preparation-and-placement stage, not a timed increment. Report the service stage performed rather than deriving units from session duration.
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.
