Medicare MNT rates · Medicare rate
Medicare MNT payment rates in Illinois, 2026
By Javier Alvarez · Updated · 2 min read
| 97802, dietitian paid per unit | $30.01 to $31.99 |
|---|---|
| 97803, dietitian paid per unit | $25.93 to $27.66 |
| G0270, dietitian paid per unit | $25.93 to $27.66 |
| 1-hour initial visit (97802 x 4) | $120.04 to $127.96 |
| Payment localities | 4 |
| MAC contractor number | 06102 |
| National 97802 rate, for comparison | $31.23 |
| Data | CMS RVU26D, released Aug 26, 2026 |
Medicare splits Illinois into four payment localities. Suburban Chicago pays the most for MNT in 2026, $31.99 per 15-minute unit of 97802, and Rest of Illinois pays the least, $30.01. Follow-ups billed as 97803 or G0270 run from $25.93 to $27.66 per unit, and the state's median 97802 rate ranks 29th highest of 54.
What Medicare pays a dietitian per unit in Illinois
| Locality | Counties | 97802 | 97803 | G0270 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suburban Chicago | Dupage, Kane, Lake and Will | $31.99 | $27.66 | $27.66 |
| Chicago | Cook | $31.78 | $27.50 | $27.50 |
| East St. Louis | Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe, Montgomery, Randolph, St. Clair and Washington | $30.24 | $26.15 | $26.15 |
| Rest of Illinois | All other counties | $30.01 | $25.93 | $25.93 |
Each amount is what Medicare pays the dietitian for one 15-minute unit in an office or other non-facility setting, after the 85% MNT rule. Localities are sorted from the highest 97802 rate to the lowest.
Full fee schedule and facility amounts
The table above is the dietitian's 85%. Here is the full Physician Fee Schedule amount behind it, and the lower amount Medicare pays when the visit happens in a facility setting such as a hospital outpatient department.
| Locality | 97802 full PFS | 97803 and G0270 full PFS | 97802 dietitian, facility | 97803 and G0270 dietitian, facility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suburban Chicago | $37.63 | $32.54 | $22.94 | $19.20 |
| Chicago | $37.39 | $32.35 | $22.93 | $19.23 |
| East St. Louis | $35.58 | $30.76 | $22.15 | $18.57 |
| Rest of Illinois | $35.30 | $30.50 | $21.97 | $18.40 |
What a visit pays in Illinois
Medicare MNT is billed in 15-minute units. A one-hour initial assessment is 4 units of 97802, a 30-minute follow-up is 2 units of 97803 (or G0270 after a new referral for a change in condition), and a patient's first-year benefit is 3 hours, which you could bill as the 4-unit assessment plus 8 units of follow-ups. The MNT units calculator turns minutes into units.
| Locality | 1-hour initial (97802 x 4) | 30-minute follow-up (97803 x 2) | All 3 first-year hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suburban Chicago | $127.96 | $55.32 | $349.24 |
| Chicago | $127.12 | $55.00 | $347.12 |
| Rest of Illinois | $120.04 | $51.86 | $327.48 |
The rows are the highest-paying locality, the middle one, and the lowest-paying one. Every locality's rates are in the tables above and in the CSV download.
How the Illinois numbers are built
Take Suburban Chicago, whose 2026 GPCIs are 1.007 for work, 1.027 for practice expense and 1.772 for malpractice. For 97802 in an office: (0.53 x 1.007) + (0.56 x 1.027) + (0.01 x 1.772) = 1.12655 RVUs. Times the 2026 conversion factor of $33.4009 that is $37.63, and 85% of it is $31.99. The RVUs come from the CMS PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv file and the GPCIs from GPCI2026.csv; the full method is in the report.
Before you bill Medicare MNT in Illinois
These rates only apply when the visit qualifies: a registered dietitian or nutrition professional enrolled in Medicare, a beneficiary with diabetes or kidney disease not treated with dialysis (or within 36 months of a kidney transplant), and a referral from the treating physician. The Medicare MNT coverage guide covers enrollment, hour limits and referrals, and Medicare coverage for nutrition counseling explains what the patient's benefit includes. For code rules, see CPT 97802, CPT 97803 and G0270 and G0271.
Closest to Illinois on the 97802 rate: South Dakota ($31.04) and North Dakota ($31.06). Every state is in the 2026 report.
