97124: Massage therapy
Category: Timed therapy
By Dr. Daniel Turner, DC · Reviewed September 2, 2026
What is 97124 used for?
A timed code for massage techniques including effleurage, petrissage, and tapotement, billed in 15 minute one on one units.
How it works in a chiropractic practice
Often confused with 97140, and the distinction matters: 97124 is massage technique, 97140 is manual therapy technique such as mobilization and myofascial release. They are not interchangeable relabels, payers bundle them with each other on the same region, and choosing whichever pays better that month is a coding integrity problem. Choose by what was actually done.
What the note must show
- ✓The massage techniques used and the regions treated
- ✓Timed minutes supporting the units under the 8 minute rule
- ✓A therapeutic purpose within the care plan, since relaxation massage is not a covered service on most plans
A worked example
A patient receives twelve minutes of petrissage to the cervical and upper thoracic musculature for documented spasm. One unit of 97124. Billing it as 97140 because that code has a better allowable at this payer misstates the service performed, and billing both for the same twelve minutes of work double bills the same time.
The time rules for 97124
A 15 minute timed code under the same 8 minute threshold and pooled minutes rules as the other timed therapies.
Billing 97124 with other codes on the same visit
- ✓Bundles against 97140 on the same visit at many payers; pick the code that matches what was actually done rather than alternating for variety
- ✓With CMT same day it generally pays without the drama 97140 attracts, though therapy modifier rules still apply per payer
- ✓Massage billed every visit for the life of a care plan draws frequency review; tie it to the documented muscular findings
Does Medicare pay chiropractors for 97124?
Not payable to chiropractors. Commercial coverage varies and some plans exclude massage entirely or cap it aggressively.
Where practices get burned
Swapping between 97124 and 97140 by reimbursement rather than by service; billing both on the same region and session; time and unit mismatches.
How Cervica helps with 97124
Cervica's claim scrubber validates modifiers, units, and diagnosis pointers for 97124 before submission, per payer rules handle code substitutions and modifier requirements automatically, and when a payer pushes back anyway the denial worklist reads the adjustment codes and routes the claim to the exact fix.
Related codes
Quick answers
What is 97124 used for?
A timed code for massage techniques including effleurage, petrissage, and tapotement, billed in 15 minute one on one units.
What documentation does 97124 require?
The massage techniques used and the regions treated Timed minutes supporting the units under the 8 minute rule A therapeutic purpose within the care plan, since relaxation massage is not a covered service on most plans
Does Medicare pay chiropractors for 97124?
Not payable to chiropractors. Commercial coverage varies and some plans exclude massage entirely or cap it aggressively.
References
General information for billing teams, not legal, coding, or payer specific advice. CPT is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association; code descriptions here are paraphrased in our own words and the AMA's CPT publications control. Payer policies vary and control for any individual claim.