CPT code 29700: Cast removal, gauntlet or boot cast2026 Medicare rate & RVUs
Report this service when a gauntlet or boot cast is removed or split, such as to relieve constriction or end immobilization.
Medicare pays $69.14 for 29700 nationally in the office and $30.06 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $60.99–$90.77.
Medicare rate · 29700
Cast removal, gauntlet or boot cast
- Work RVUs
- 0.56
- Total RVUs
- 2.07
- Global days
- 000
National rate · 2026
$69.14
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for 29700 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
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On this page 10 sections
What 29700 covers
This service covers removing or splitting a cast in the gauntlet or boot category. Bivalving means cutting the cast lengthwise so it separates into sections; removal takes the cast off. Orthopedic clinicians commonly perform the work in an office or facility when a cast needs to be opened for pressure relief or removed when immobilization is complete. Document the cast type and site, whether it was split or removed, and the clinical reason for the work.
Select this code for a gauntlet or boot cast, not a full arm or leg cast or a shoulder or hip spica. Medicare assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. A bilateral adjustment is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery services are not paid, and 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 29700 pays more and less
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
109 payment localities
$60.99 to $90.77
109 of 109 payment localities
29700 rates by state
Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.
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Local rates. Clear comparisons.
Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.
$60.99
$81.70
Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.
View every state and territory as a table
| State / territory | Office rate range | Localities |
|---|---|---|
| AK | $80.23 | 1 |
| AL | $61.91 | 1 |
| AR | $60.99 | 1 |
| AZ | $67.24 | 1 |
| CA | $72.62–$90.77 | 29 |
| CO | $71.74 | 1 |
| CT | $73.80 | 1 |
| DC | $78.93 | 1 |
| DE | $68.36 | 1 |
| FL | $68.57–$75.68 | 3 |
| GA | $64.59–$70.56 | 2 |
| GU | $74.37 | 1 |
| HI | $74.37 | 1 |
| IA | $63.30 | 1 |
| ID | $63.76 | 1 |
| IL | $66.71–$73.40 | 4 |
| IN | $64.13 | 1 |
| KS | $63.10 | 1 |
| KY | $63.62 | 1 |
| LA | $63.56–$66.75 | 2 |
| MA | $71.34–$78.78 | 2 |
| MD | $69.65–$78.93 | 3 |
| ME | $64.21–$67.60 | 2 |
| MI | $65.40–$69.54 | 2 |
| MN | $68.40 | 1 |
| MO | $62.52–$66.87 | 3 |
| MS | $61.76 | 1 |
| MT | $69.13 | 1 |
| NC | $64.88 | 1 |
| ND | $67.35 | 1 |
| NE | $63.62 | 1 |
| NH | $70.71 | 1 |
| NJ | $74.54–$78.11 | 2 |
| NM | $65.81 | 1 |
| NV | $68.69 | 1 |
| NY | $65.88–$81.88 | 5 |
| OH | $65.04 | 1 |
| OK | $63.39 | 1 |
| OR | $68.06–$73.93 | 2 |
| PA | $65.09–$72.00 | 2 |
| PR | $69.62 | 1 |
| RI | $70.74 | 1 |
| SC | $65.08 | 1 |
| SD | $67.14 | 1 |
| TN | $63.43 | 1 |
| TX | $64.66–$71.59 | 8 |
| UT | $65.99 | 1 |
| VA | $67.45–$78.93 | 2 |
| VI | $69.62 | 1 |
| VT | $67.18 | 1 |
| WA | $71.18–$80.29 | 2 |
| WI | $65.07 | 1 |
| WV | $64.22 | 1 |
| WY | $68.36 | 1 |
How the 29700 rate is calculated
Each of 29700’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.
How the rate is built · 29700
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.56
0.56 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.42
1.42 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.09
0.09 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
2.0700
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$69.14
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 29700
The CMS indicators that decide how 29700 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 29700
Cast removal, gauntlet or boot cast
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
29700 without 51 · national office
$69.14
Cast removal, gauntlet or boot cast
29700-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$34.57
When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).
29700 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 29705Cast removalFull arm or leg cast
- Choose 29700 for a gauntlet or boot cast; choose 29705 for a full arm or leg cast.
- 29710Spica cast removalShoulder or hip
- 29710 applies to a shoulder or hip spica cast, not a gauntlet or boot cast.
- 29730Cast adjustmentAccess opening
- 29730 describes making a localized window in a cast. It does not describe removing the cast or splitting it lengthwise.
29700 billing questions
How is this different from 29705?
29700 is for a gauntlet or boot cast. Use 29705 for removal or bivalving of a full arm or leg cast.
When is bivalving reported instead of removal?
Report bivalving when the cast is split lengthwise but remains on the patient; report removal when the cast is taken off. Document which service was performed and why.
Can the service be reported with a replacement cast?
The code covers removal or bivalving, not application of a new cast. Document each service performed and apply the multiple procedure reduction when multiple procedures occur in the same session.
Should modifier 50 be appended for casts on both sides?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
Is an assistant surgeon payable for this service?
No. CMS lists a statutory restriction on assistant-at-surgery payment for this code; co-surgeons and team surgery are also not permitted.
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
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
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