Question: We usually submit 97124 for massage, but we were told to use 97112 instead. Is this a correct code?
South Carolina Subscriber
Answer: The CPT® code 97124 stands for “Therapeutic procedure, 1 or more areas, each 15 minutes; massage, including effleurage, petrissage and/or tapotement (stroking, compression, percussion.” So, submitting 97124 for massage is the right thing to do.
On the other hand, 97112 stands for “Therapeutic procedure, 1 or more areas, each 15 minutes; neuromuscular reeducation of movement, balance, coordination, kinesthetic sense, posture, and/or proprioception for sitting and/or standing activities.” Code 97112 is also defined as an “active” therapy which means the patient must be actively and physically participating in the therapy. As you are aware, massage is a “passive” therapy in which the therapy is being provided to the patient rather than the patient physically participating.
Remember: The rule of coding requires that the code selected must be the one that most accurately describe the service being provided.
