$13.80
97022 describes agitated-water immersion. 97034 is for contrast baths that alternate warm and cool water.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
97022 Whirlpool therapy Medicare reimbursement rates in Vermont
Reports agitated-water immersion used as a physical medicine modality, such as for selected extremity stiffness or wound-care treatment. Compare 97022 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Vermont.
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 97022 in Vermont?
Vermont 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
$15.44
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Vermont
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 97022: Whirlpool modality treatment
Reports agitated-water immersion used as a physical medicine modality, such as for selected extremity stiffness or wound-care treatment.
Whirlpool therapy immerses an affected limb or other body area in agitated water as a physical medicine modality. Physical and occupational therapists use it in rehabilitation and wound-care treatment plans, for example when treating an extremity with restricted motion or a wound for which water-based treatment is selected. The service may be furnished in an outpatient therapy department or hospital-based rehabilitation setting.
Report 97022 for the whirlpool modality itself, not for a contrast bath, compression device, or simple hot or cold pack. Documentation should identify the treated area, the clinical reason for selecting immersion, the treatment delivered, and the patient’s response. This is an untimed therapy service, not a 15-minute modality code, and the professional-component modifier does not apply. Under the CMS therapy multiple procedure payment reduction, practice expense is reduced for the second and later therapy units furnished to the same patient on the same day.
CMS billing rules for 97022
- 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 RVU0.17 · 36%
- Practice expense (office) RVU0.29 · 62%
- Malpractice RVU0.01 · 2%
127.9K
Medicare services in 2024 · #494 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.
97022 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Vermont, from the same CMS release.
$34.32
97022 is whirlpool treatment. 97036 identifies treatment using a Hubbard tank, a distinct immersion modality.
$11.80
97022 uses agitated water; 97016 uses a vasopneumatic device to apply compression.
$5.81
97022 involves water immersion. 97018 uses heated paraffin, often for a hand or foot.
Compare 97022 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
Vermont →
Office / nonfacility
$15.44
Facility
Unavailable
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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 97022 in Vermont.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
12,848
- Code
- 97022
- Physician work
- 0.17
- Practice expense
- 0.29
- Malpractice
- 0.01
GPCI2026.csv
105
- Locality
- Vermont
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.990
- Malpractice
- 0.506
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 0.17 | × 1.000 | 0.1700 |
| Practice expense | 0.29 | × 0.990 | 0.2871 |
| Malpractice | 0.01 | × 0.506 | 0.0051 |
| Total RVUs | 0.4622 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Vermont$15.44
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.17 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 0.29 | 0.99 |
| Malpractice | 0.01 | 0.506 |
(0.17 × 1 + 0.29 × 0.99 + 0.01 × 0.506) × $33.4009 = $15.44
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.
97022 billing questions
When should 97022 be chosen instead of 97034?
Use 97022 for immersion in agitated water. Use 97034 when treatment consists of alternating warm and cool water baths.
Is 97022 billed in 15-minute units?
No. It is an untimed modality, rather than a 15-minute service. Document the treatment provided and do not calculate units from elapsed time.
Can 97022 be reported with another therapy service on the same day?
It may be reported when the whirlpool treatment and the other service are distinct services that were performed and documented. CMS reduces practice expense for the second and later therapy units on the same day.
Should modifier 26 be appended to 97022?
No. The CMS component rule identifies this as a therapy service for which the professional-component modifier does not apply.
What documentation supports reporting 97022?
Record the body area immersed, why whirlpool treatment was selected, what treatment was delivered, and the patient’s response.
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.
12,84597014,,Electric stimulation therapy,I,+,0.18,0.19,,0.19,NA,0.01,0.38,0.38,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
12,84697016,,Vasopneumatic device therapy,A,,0.18,0.17,,0.17,NA,0.01,0.36,0.36,7,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,5,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
12,84797018,,Paraffin bath therapy,A,,0.06,0.11,,0.11,NA,0.01,0.18,0.18,7,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,5,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
12,84897022,,Whirlpool therapy,A,,0.17,0.29,,0.29,NA,0.01,0.47,0.47,7,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,5,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
12,84997024,,Diathermy eg microwave,A,,0.06,0.15,,0.15,NA,0.01,0.22,0.22,7,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,5,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
12,85097026,,Infrared therapy,R,,0.06,0.13,,0.13,NA,0.01,0.20,0.20,7,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,5,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
12,85197028,,Ultraviolet therapy,A,,0.08,0.16,,0.16,NA,0.01,0.25,0.25,7,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,5,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
10204412,TX,18,HOUSTON,1.008,0.993,1.376
10304412,TX,99,REST OF TEXAS,1.000,0.949,0.903
10403502,UT,09,UTAH,1.000,0.940,0.898
10514512,VT,50,VERMONT,1.000,0.990,0.506
10611302,VA,00,VIRGINIA,1.000,0.983,0.706
10709202,VI,50,VIRGIN ISLANDS,1.000,1.011,0.985
10802402,WA,02,SEATTLE (KING CNTY),1.050,1.227,0.817