97010
No office rateHot or cold packs therapy
Hot or cold packs provide thermal treatment without cycling pressure. Use 97016 when a vasopneumatic device applies cyclic compression, whether or not it also delivers cold.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
97016 Vasopneumatic therapy Medicare reimbursement rates in Washington
Report supervised vasopneumatic compression therapy for swelling after injury or surgery, or for lymphedema, when a device applies cyclic pressure. Compare 97016 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Washington.
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 97016 in Washington?
Washington has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$12.32–$13.55
2 of 2 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.
Physical therapy
About 97016: Vasopneumatic compression therapy, supervised modality
Report supervised vasopneumatic compression therapy for swelling after injury or surgery, or for lymphedema, when a device applies cyclic pressure.
A vasopneumatic device inflates and deflates a sleeve, boot, or wrap around a limb or joint to apply cyclic pressure to swollen tissue. Some devices also circulate cold fluid. Physical and occupational therapists, and assistants working under them, use the treatment in outpatient rehabilitation for postoperative knee swelling, ankle sprains, or arm or leg lymphedema. The clinician sets up and supervises the modality but need not remain one-on-one throughout the treatment.
Report one untimed unit per date of service, even if the device treats more than one area or runs for a longer period. The record should identify the treated area, duration, relevant device settings when available, the swelling and its functional effects, and the patient's response under the therapy plan of care. Objective measurements can help demonstrate progress but are not required at every session. A professional component modifier is not used for this therapy service. When multiple therapy units are furnished on the same day, Medicare reduces practice expense payment for the second and later units.
CMS billing rules for 97016
- 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 RVU0.18 · 50%
- Practice expense (office) RVU0.17 · 47%
- Malpractice RVU0.01 · 3%
988.7K
Medicare services in 2024 · #144 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.
97016 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Washington, from the same CMS release.
$28.52–$31.34
Manual lymphatic drainage is hands-on manual therapy billed in 15-minute units. Vasopneumatic therapy uses a compression device and is reported as one untimed unit per date of service.
97014
No office rateElectric stimulation therapy
Unattended electrical stimulation delivers current through electrodes; vasopneumatic therapy delivers cyclic pressure through a sleeve or wrap. Both are supervised, untimed modalities.
$14.75–$16.24
Ultrasound requires constant attendance and is billed in 15-minute units. Vasopneumatic therapy is supervised and reported as one untimed unit per date of service.
Compare 97016 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Rest Of Washington →
Office / nonfacility
$12.32
Facility
Unavailable
Seattle (King Cnty) →
Office / nonfacility
$13.55
Facility
Unavailable
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97016 billing questions
How many units can be billed for vasopneumatic treatment?
Report one unit per date of service. A longer application or treatment of multiple areas does not increase the unit count.
Can cold packs be billed separately when the vasopneumatic device also delivers cold?
Do not separately report a cold pack for cold delivered as part of the vasopneumatic device treatment.
Does the therapist need to stay with the patient the entire time?
No. Vasopneumatic therapy is a supervised modality; it does not require the constant one-on-one attendance required for timed modalities such as ultrasound.
Which therapy modifier goes on this code?
Use GP for treatment under a physical therapy plan of care or GO under an occupational therapy plan of care. Do not use a professional component modifier.
Can a home pneumatic compression pump be billed with this code?
No. This code reports supervised outpatient treatment, not a pump or sleeve supplied for home use as durable medical equipment.
What documentation supports medical necessity?
Document the cause and extent of swelling, its effect on function, the area treated, treatment duration, and the patient's response. Girth or volume measurements can help show progress over the course of care.
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.
12,84397010,,Hot or cold packs therapy,B,+,0.06,0.13,,0.13,NA,0.01,0.20,0.20,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
12,84497012,,Mechanical traction therapy,A,,0.24,0.18,,0.18,NA,0.01,0.43,0.43,7,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,5,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
12,84597014,,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