CPT code 29085: Gauntlet cast, hand and lower forearm2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $106.88 for 29085 nationally in the office and $63.46 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $93.98–$139.86.

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What 29085 covers

CPT 29085 represents application of a gauntlet-style cast that covers the hand and lower forearm, leaving the elbow free. It is used when an injury requires immobilization across the wrist and hand, such as selected carpal or metacarpal injuries. Orthopedic clinicians commonly apply this cast in office, emergency, or facility settings. The coverage distinguishes it from a cast that extends from below the elbow to the hand and from a cast limited to a finger.

Select the code from the cast’s extent and configuration, not the diagnosis alone. Document the treated side, the areas immobilized, and why this cast was used; replacement of the cast is included in the service. When cast application is part of fracture treatment that already includes it, do not separately report 29085. The 0-day global includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. In a session with multiple procedures, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 applies to bilateral performance, paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.

Where 29085 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

29085 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

How the 29085 rate is calculated

Each of 29085’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

Payment rules and modifiers for 29085

The CMS indicators that decide how 29085 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 50

29085 compared with similar codes

How to choose

29075Cast applicationForearm to hand

Use 29085 for a gauntlet-style cast over the hand and lower forearm. Use 29075 when the cast extends from below the elbow to the hand.

29086Finger castFinger only

Use 29086 when the cast is limited to a finger. Use 29085 when the cast covers the hand and lower forearm.

29065Cast applicationShoulder to hand

Use 29065 for a long-arm cast extending from the shoulder to the hand; 29085 covers the hand and lower forearm.

Codes related to 29085

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates