Application of hot or cold packs to one or more body areas as a supervised modality during a therapy session.
- Medicare
- $6.68
- Work RVU
- 0.06
- Global, days
- Region
- General
Documentation requirements
What must appear in the operative or office note to support the claim.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in 3 cited references ↓
- Body area treated
- Hot or cold pack specified
- Clinical reason (edema control, pain before exercise)
- Skilled services performed in the same session
- Skin check before and after
Applicable modifiers
Modifiers commonly billed with this code.
Source · AMA CPT modifier descriptors · CMS NCCI Policy Manual
What this code covers
Source · Editorial summary grounded in 3 cited references ↓
97010 is hot or cold pack application. It is a supervised, untimed modality, meaning staff set it up and the patient does not need constant one-on-one attention.
Medicare treats it as bundled (status B). It is never paid separately because CMS considers it part of the other therapy services that day. Billing it to Medicare does not hurt you, but it produces a zero line and some practices leave it off to keep remits clean. Some commercial plans still pay a small amount for it; others follow Medicare.
In ortho-owned PT, ice after a post-op knee session or moist heat before cervical spine work is routine. The trap is relying on it for revenue or letting it pad a visit with no skilled care. Payers and auditors expect skilled treatment as the core of the session, and a visit that is mostly packs looks like maintenance. Note the body area, hot or cold, and why it was used.
RVU & reimbursement
Component RVUs and Medicare national rate. Actual payment varies by GPCI locality.
Source · CMS Physician Fee Schedule, RVU26A · January 2026
Work RVU vs. total RVU
The work RVU (0.06) is the surgeon's own effort — the figure physician pay and productivity targets are built on. The total RVU (0.2) adds practice overhead and malpractice, and is what drives the Medicare payment below.
| Work RVU | 0.06 |
| Practice expense RVU | 0.13 |
| Malpractice RVU | 0.01 |
| Total RVU | 0.2 |
| Medicare national rate | $6.68 |
| Global period | days |
Payment by site of service
Medicare pays different rates by setting. HOPD typically pays substantially more than ASC for the same procedure.
Source · CMS OPPS Addendum B·ASC HCPCS payment rates·2026
| Setting | Medicare rate (national) |
|---|---|
Office (PFS non-facility) Procedure performed in physician's office | $6.68 |
Common denial reasons
The recurring reasons claims for CPT 97010 get rejected.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in CMS NCCI edits, AAOS coding appeals, and cited references ↓
- Medicare bundled status, no separate payment
- Commercial payer follows Medicare bundling
- Only modality billed with no skilled service
- Missing therapy modifier GP or GO
Frequently asked questions
Source · Generated from the editorial pipeline, verified against 3 cited references ↓
01Does Medicare pay for 97010?
02Should I still bill 97010 to Medicare?
03Is 97010 a timed code?
Sources & references
Editorial content was developed using the following public sources.
Mira Scribe
Mira Scribe notes the area treated and why, alongside the skilled interventions, so the session reads as active treatment rather than passive care.
See how Mira captures CPT 97010 documentation