Unattended electrical stimulation applied to one or more areas as a supervised modality, with no constant one-on-one contact required.
- Medicare
- $12.69
- Work RVU
- 0.18
- 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 ↓
- Area treated and electrode placement
- Stimulation type and parameters
- Clinical purpose tied to the plan of care
- Skilled services in the same session
- Patient response
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 ↓
97014 is unattended electrical stimulation. Staff place the electrodes, set the unit, and check in, but do not stay with the patient. It is untimed and billed once per session.
Medicare does not accept 97014 (status I). For Medicare patients, unattended e-stim that is not for wound care is billed with HCPCS G0283. This catches practices that use one fee ticket for every payer. Many commercial payers still take 97014, though a growing number follow Medicare and ask for G0283, so check each contract.
In ortho PT, it is used for pain modulation after surgery or with acute low back pain, often paired with heat or ice. Attended e-stim, where the therapist is with the patient the whole time, is 97032. Payers look for a skilled purpose: document the parameters, the area, and how it fits the plan of care. A visit made up mostly of unattended modalities invites a medical necessity denial.
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 (0.18) is the surgeon's own effort — the figure physician pay and productivity targets are built on. The total RVU (0.38) adds practice overhead and malpractice, and is what drives the Medicare payment below.
| Work RVU | 0.18 |
| Practice expense RVU | 0.19 |
| Malpractice RVU | 0.01 |
| Total RVU | 0.38 |
| Medicare national rate | $12.69 |
| 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 | $12.69 |
Common denial reasons
The recurring reasons claims for CPT 97014 get rejected.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in CMS NCCI edits, AAOS coding appeals, and cited references ↓
- Billed to Medicare instead of G0283
- Commercial payer requires G0283
- Only modalities billed with no skilled service
- Missing therapy modifier
Frequently asked questions
Source · Generated from the editorial pipeline, verified against 3 cited references ↓
01Does Medicare accept 97014?
02What is the difference between 97014 and 97032?
03Can I bill 97014 to commercial plans?
Sources & references
Editorial content was developed using the following public sources.
Mira Scribe
Mira Scribe captures the area, settings, and purpose of the stimulation in the session note so the modality ties back to the plan of care.
See how Mira captures CPT 97014 documentation