Need help choosing the right code?
Ask CasePilot about procedures, modifiers, bundling, and coding guidance.
Try CasePilot© Copyright 2026 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine technique that primarily focuses on pain relief and the promotion of overall wellness. This practice involves the insertion of thin, sterile needles into specific acupuncture points located throughout the body. The primary goal of acupuncture is to stimulate these points, which are believed to correspond to various bodily functions and health conditions. By inserting needles, practitioners aim to open the flow of chi, or vital energy, through the meridian pathways, thereby correcting any imbalances in energy flow that may contribute to pain or illness. Acupuncture can be performed with or without the use of electrical stimulation. In the case of non-electrical acupuncture, the procedure involves the initial 15 minutes of personal one-on-one contact between the practitioner and the patient, during which the needles are inserted without any electrical devices. This technique may also be complemented by other traditional practices such as moxibustion, which involves the burning of moxa (a dried herb) on or near the skin to enhance healing, and cupping therapy, which creates suction on the skin to improve blood flow and facilitate recovery. For billing purposes, the CPT® Code 97810 is used to report the first 15 minutes of acupuncture treatment without electrical stimulation.
© Copyright 2026 Coding Ahead. All rights reserved.
Acupuncture is indicated for a variety of conditions, particularly those related to pain management and overall wellness. The following are common indications for the procedure:
The procedure for acupuncture without electrical stimulation involves several key steps, which are detailed below:
After the acupuncture session, patients may experience a range of effects, including relaxation and a sense of well-being. It is common for patients to feel a reduction in pain or discomfort following treatment. Practitioners may provide post-procedure care instructions, which can include recommendations for hydration, rest, and any follow-up appointments if necessary. Patients are encouraged to monitor their symptoms and report any unusual reactions to their healthcare provider. Overall, the recovery process is typically straightforward, with most individuals resuming normal activities shortly after the session.
| Short Descr | ACUP 1/> WO ESTIM 1ST 15 MIN | Medium Descr | ACUPUNCTURE 1/> NDLS W/O ESTIM 1ST 15 MIN | Long Descr | Acupuncture, 1 or more needles; without electrical stimulation, initial 15 minutes of personal one-on-one contact with the patient | Status Code | Active Code | Global Days | XXX - Global Concept Does Not Apply | PC/TC Indicator (26, TC) | 0 - Physician Service Code | Multiple Procedures (51) | 0 - No payment adjustment rules for multiple procedures apply. | Bilateral Surgery (50) | 0 - 150% payment adjustment for bilateral procedures does NOT apply. | Physician Supervisions | 09 - Concept does not apply. | Assistant Surgeon (80, 82) | 1 - Statutory payment restriction for assistants at surgery applies to this procedure... | Co-Surgeons (62) | 0 - Co-surgeons not permitted for this procedure. | Team Surgery (66) | 0 - Team surgeons not permitted for this procedure. | Diagnostic Imaging Family | 99 - Concept Does Not Apply | APC Status Indicator | Procedure or Service, Not Discounted when Multiple | Type of Service (TOS) | 1 - Medical Care | Berenson-Eggers TOS (BETOS) | P5E - Ambulatory procedures - other | MUE | 1 | CCS Clinical Classification | 213 - Physical therapy exercises, manipulation, and other procedures |
This is a primary code that can be used with these additional add-on codes.
| 97811 | Changed Code for 2025 Addon Code MPFS Status: Active Code APC N PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Acupuncture, 1 or more needles; without electrical stimulation, each additional 15 minutes of personal one-on-one contact with the patient, with insertion of needle(s) (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure) | 97814 | Changed Code for 2025 Addon Code MPFS Status: Active Code APC N PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Acupuncture, 1 or more needles; with electrical stimulation, each additional 15 minutes of personal one-on-one contact with the patient, with insertion of needle(s) (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure) |
| GY | Item or service statutorily excluded, does not meet the definition of any medicare benefit or, for non-medicare insurers, is not a contract benefit | KX | Requirements specified in the medical policy have been met | GA | Waiver of liability statement issued as required by payer policy, individual case | GP | Services delivered under an outpatient physical therapy plan of care | 59 | Distinct procedural service: under certain circumstances, it may be necessary to indicate that a procedure or service was distinct or independent from other non-e/m services performed on the same day. modifier 59 is used to identify procedures/services, other than e/m services, that are not normally reported together, but are appropriate under the circumstances. documentation must support a different session, different procedure or surgery, different site or organ system, separate incision/excision, separate lesion, or separate injury (or area of injury in extensive injuries) not ordinarily encountered or performed on the same day by the same individual. however, when another already established modifier is appropriate it should be used rather than modifier 59. only if no more descriptive modifier is available, and the use of modifier 59 best explains the circumstances, should modifier 59 be used. note: modifier 59 should not be appended to an e/m service. to report a separate and distinct e/m service with a non-e/m service performed on the same date, see modifier 25. | X2 | Continuous/focused services: for reporting services by clinicians whose expertise is needed for the ongoing management of a chronic disease or a condition that needs to be managed and followed with no planned endpoint to the relationship; reporting clinician service examples include but are not limited to: a rheumatologist taking care of the patient's rheumatoid arthritis longitudinally but not providing general primary care services | GZ | Item or service expected to be denied as not reasonable and necessary | XS | Separate structure, a service that is distinct because it was performed on a separate organ/structure | AT | Acute treatment (this modifier should be used when reporting service 98940, 98941, 98942) | GX | Notice of liability issued, voluntary under payer policy | XU | Unusual non-overlapping service, the use of a service that is distinct because it does not overlap usual components of the main service | GC | This service has been performed in part by a resident under the direction of a teaching physician | 52 | Reduced services: under certain circumstances a service or procedure is partially reduced or eliminated at the discretion of the physician or other qualified health care professional. under these circumstances the service provided can be identified by its usual procedure number and the addition of modifier 52, signifying that the service is reduced. this provides a means of reporting reduced services without disturbing the identification of the basic service. note: for hospital outpatient reporting of a previously scheduled procedure/service that is partially reduced or cancelled as a result of extenuating circumstances or those that threaten the well-being of the patient prior to or after administration of anesthesia, see modifiers 73 and 74 (see modifiers approved for asc hospital outpatient use). | 22 | Increased procedural services: when the work required to provide a service is substantially greater than typically required, it may be identified by adding modifier 22 to the usual procedure code. documentation must support the substantial additional work and the reason for the additional work (ie, increased intensity, time, technical difficulty of procedure, severity of patient's condition, physical and mental effort required). note: this modifier should not be appended to an e/m service. | AG | Primary physician | X4 | Episodic/focused services: for reporting services by clinicians who provide focused care on particular types of treatment limited to a defined period and circumstance; the patient has a problem, acute or chronic, that will be treated with surgery, radiation, or some other type of generally time-limited intervention; reporting clinician service examples include but are not limited to, the orthopedic surgeon performing a knee replacement and seeing the patient through the postoperative period | 25 | Significant, separately identifiable evaluation and management service by the same physician or other qualified health care professional on the same day of the procedure or other service: it may be necessary to indicate that on the day a procedure or service identified by a cpt code was performed, the patient's condition required a significant, separately identifiable e/m service above and beyond the other service provided or beyond the usual preoperative and postoperative care associated with the procedure that was performed. a significant, separately identifiable e/m service is defined or substantiated by documentation that satisfies the relevant criteria for the respective e/m service to be reported (see evaluation and management services guidelines for instructions on determining level of e/m service). the e/m service may be prompted by the symptom or condition for which the procedure and/or service was provided. as such, different diagnoses are not required for reporting of the e/m services on the same date. this circumstance may be reported by adding modifier 25 to the appropriate level of e/m service. note: this modifier is not used to report an e/m service that resulted in a decision to perform surgery. see modifier 57 for significant, separately identifiable non-e/m services, see modifier 59. | 50 | Bilateral procedure: unless otherwise identified in the listings, bilateral procedures that are performed at the same session, should be identified by adding modifier 50 to the appropriate 5 digit code. note: this modifier should not be appended to designated "add-on" codes (see appendix d). | 51 | Multiple procedures: when multiple procedures, other than e/m services, physical medicine and rehabilitation services or provision of supplies (eg, vaccines), are performed at the same session by the same individual, the primary procedure or service may be reported as listed. the additional procedure(s) or service(s) may be identified by appending modifier 51 to the additional procedure or service code(s). note: this modifier should not be appended to designated "add-on" codes (see appendix d). | 76 | Repeat procedure or service by same physician or other qualified health care professional: it may be necessary to indicate that a procedure or service was repeated by the same physician or other qualified health care professional subsequent to the original procedure or service. this circumstance may be reported by adding modifier 76 to the repeated procedure or service. note: this modifier should not be appended to an e/m service. | 81 | Minimum assistant surgeon: minimum surgical assistant services are identified by adding modifier 81 to the usual procedure number. | 97 | Rehabilitative services: when a service or procedure that may be either habilitative or rehabilitative in nature is provided for rehabilitative purposes, the physician or other qualified health care professional may add modifier 97 to the service or procedure code to indicate that the service or procedure provided was a rehabilitative service. rehabilitative services help an individual keep, get back, or improve skills and functioning for daily living that have been lost or impaired because the individual was sick, hurt, or disabled. | AK | Non participating physician | AQ | Physician providing a service in an unlisted health professional shortage area (hpsa) | CA | Procedure payable only in the inpatient setting when performed emergently on an outpatient who expires prior to admission | CC | Procedure code change (use 'cc' when the procedure code submitted was changed either for administrative reasons or because an incorrect code was filed) | FA | Left hand, thumb | GS | Dosage of erythropoietin stimulating agent has been reduced and maintained in response to hematocrit or hemoglobin level | GT | Via interactive audio and video telecommunication systems | GV | Attending physician not employed or paid under arrangement by the patient's hospice provider | GW | Service not related to the hospice patient's terminal condition | KK | Dmepos item subject to dmepos competitive bidding program number 2 | KS | Glucose monitor supply for diabetic beneficiary not treated with insulin | LT | Left side (used to identify procedures performed on the left side of the body) | Q1 | Routine clinical service provided in a clinical research study that is in an approved clinical research study | Q6 | Service furnished under a fee-for-time compensation arrangement by a substitute physician or by a substitute physical therapist furnishing outpatient physical therapy services in a health professional shortage area, a medically underserved area, or a rural area | QE | Prescribed amount of stationary oxygen while at rest is less than 1 liter per minute (lpm) | RT | Right side (used to identify procedures performed on the right side of the body) | X1 | Continuous/broad services: for reporting services by clinicians, who provide the principal care for a patient, with no planned endpoint of the relationship; services in this category represent comprehensive care, dealing with the entire scope of patient problems, either directly or in a care coordination role; reporting clinician service examples include, but are not limited to: primary care, and clinicians providing comprehensive care to patients in addition to specialty care | XE | Separate encounter, a service that is distinct because it occurred during a separate encounter | XP | Separate practitioner, a service that is distinct because it was performed by a different practitioner |
|
Date
|
Action
|
Notes
|
|---|---|---|
| 2025-01-01 | Changed | Short and Medium Descriptions changed. |
| 2013-01-01 | Changed | Medium Descriptor changed. |
| 2006-01-01 | Changed | Code description changed. |
| 2005-01-01 | Added | First appearance in code book in 2005. |
Get instant expert-level medical coding assistance.