Sanuwave Health Comments on CMS Medicare Payment Reduction for Ultramist

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., Nov. 05, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Sanuwave Health, a leading provider of FDA-cleared directed energy systems used in advanced wound care, has commented on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule for the Calendar Year 2027 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS). According to the rule, the national Medicare payment for CPT code 97610, the code under which Ultramist ultrasound therapy is billed, will be $314.54 per treatment in the physician office and mobile clinic setting for 2027, marking a 21% reduction from the 2026 rate of $397.81.

The reduction in the 2027 payment rate is attributed to revised practice expense inputs adopted by CMS in response to an interested party's nomination of CPT 97610 as a potentially misvalued code. Sanuwave Health believes that the assumed inputs rest on an incomplete reading of publicly available information and do not reflect the actual costs incurred or time spent by wound care providers. The company maintains that the payment rate severely undervalues the Ultramist treatment and underestimates the costs of providing it.

Separately, under the Calendar Year 2027 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) rule, the national unadjusted payment rate for 97610 in the hospital outpatient setting will increase by 15% to $235.04, up from $204.98 in 2026. Additionally, the 97610 code was moved from Q1 to T in the HOPD setting, which will prevent it from being conditionally packaged when appearing on the same claim with S, T, or V codes. This change will allow hospitals to receive separate payment for the code when billed with other codes.

Sanuwave Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNWV) is evaluating options for its continued response to the CMS rule.

The 2027 reduction in the 97610 code's total relative value units (RVUs) was limited by Section 1848(c)(7) of the Social Security Act, which caps the first-year reduction at 19% and phases in the remainder the following year. The non-facility practice expense RVU for 97610 is expected to decline to 5.71 at full phase-in in 2028. Absent further rulemaking, Sanuwave Health anticipates a significant further reduction in the 2028 rate; the 2028 conversion factor has not been established.

These figures are derived from CMS-published RVUs, payment rates, and conversion factors and may be subject to correction or revision by CMS. They should not be relied upon as definitive for making business or investment decisions. The office-setting reimbursement reduction results from revised practice expense inputs adopted by CMS in response to an interested party's nomination of CPT 97610 as a potentially misvalued code. Sanuwave Health believes the assumed inputs rest on an incomplete reading of publicly available information and do not reflect the actual costs incurred or time spent by wound care providers.

These changes in reimbursement rates could have significant implications for Sanuwave Health's business and financial results. The company is closely monitoring the situation and will continue to engage with CMS to address the concerns raised by the payment reduction.