Electrical stimulation delivered to one or more areas with the clinician in constant one-on-one attendance, billed in 15-minute units.
- Medicare
- $14.70
- Work RVU
- 0.25
- 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 ↓
- Total minutes of constant one-on-one attendance
- Muscle group or area and electrode placement
- Stimulation parameters
- Functional activity performed during stimulation
- Therapist presence throughout
- Link to plan of care goals
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 ↓
97032 is attended electrical stimulation. The therapist stays with the patient the whole time, adjusting the stimulation or using it during a functional task. It is timed in 15-minute units.
Ortho PT uses it for quad activation after ACL reconstruction or knee replacement, where the therapist runs neuromuscular stimulation while the patient contracts. That active, hands-on use is the cleanest case for this code.
Time rules apply. Medicare uses the 8-minute rule across all timed codes in the session; many commercial plans count each code separately. Units must match documented minutes of constant attendance, and time spent setting up and leaving the patient does not count. If the therapist walks away, the service becomes unattended e-stim (97014 or G0283). Use a GP or GO modifier and track the therapy threshold for Medicare. Some payers cap e-stim units per visit. Record parameters, the muscle group, and what the patient was doing during stimulation.
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 (0.25) is the surgeon's own effort — the figure physician pay and productivity targets are built on. The total RVU (0.44) adds practice overhead and malpractice, and is what drives the Medicare payment below.
| Work RVU | 0.25 |
| Practice expense RVU | 0.18 |
| Malpractice RVU | 0.01 |
| Total RVU | 0.44 |
| Medicare national rate | $14.70 |
| 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 | $14.70 |
Common denial reasons
The recurring reasons claims for CPT 97032 get rejected.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in CMS NCCI edits, AAOS coding appeals, and cited references ↓
- Units exceed documented attended minutes
- Therapist not in constant attendance (should be 97014 or G0283)
- Missing GP or GO modifier
- Over Medicare therapy threshold without KX
- Payer limit on e-stim units per visit
Frequently asked questions
Source · Generated from the editorial pipeline, verified against 3 cited references ↓
01How many units of 97032 can I bill?
02Is NMES for quad activation 97032?
03What happens if the therapist leaves the room?
Sources & references
Editorial content was developed using the following public sources.
Mira Scribe
Mira Scribe captures attended minutes and what the patient was doing during stimulation, so units line up with the record.
See how Mira captures CPT 97032 documentation