Billing code 29260: Joint strappingMedicare rate & RVUs
Report code 29260 when a clinician applies strapping to support an elbow or wrist, such as for a sprain or strain.
Medicare pays $28.72 for 29260 nationally in the office and $15.70 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $26.23–$36.60.
Medicare rate · 29260
Joint strapping
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
- Work RVUs
- 0.38
- Total RVUs
- 0.86
- Global days
- 000
National rate · 2026
$28.72
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for 29260 → · 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.
On this page 10 sections
What 29260 covers
Code 29260 covers applying therapeutic strapping to an elbow or wrist to support the joint, commonly during treatment of a sprain, strain, or similar injury. A physician or other qualified clinician may perform the service in an office or facility setting. The strapping is directed to the elbow or wrist; strapping the shoulder or hand belongs to a different site-specific code.
Choose the code based on the treated body site, and document the condition, laterality, joint strapped, and service performed. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and other procedures at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service, 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 29260 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
$26.23 to $36.60
109 of 109 payment localities
29260 rates by state
Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.
Explore a state
Local rates. Clear comparisons.
Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.
$26.23
$35.77
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 | $35.77 | 1 |
| AL | $26.51 | 1 |
| AR | $26.23 | 1 |
| AZ | $28.15 | 1 |
| CA | $30.11–$36.60 | 29 |
| CO | $29.71 | 1 |
| CT | $30.30 | 1 |
| DC | $32.22 | 1 |
| DE | $28.54 | 1 |
| FL | $28.38–$30.38 | 3 |
| GA | $27.19–$29.14 | 2 |
| GU | $30.55 | 1 |
| HI | $30.55 | 1 |
| IA | $27.02 | 1 |
| ID | $27.14 | 1 |
| IL | $27.76–$29.76 | 4 |
| IN | $27.26 | 1 |
| KS | $26.92 | 1 |
| KY | $26.96 | 1 |
| LA | $26.93–$27.91 | 2 |
| MA | $29.61–$32.15 | 2 |
| MD | $28.98–$32.22 | 3 |
| ME | $27.24–$28.34 | 2 |
| MI | $27.47–$28.65 | 2 |
| MN | $28.70 | 1 |
| MO | $26.59–$27.99 | 3 |
| MS | $26.41 | 1 |
| MT | $28.72 | 1 |
| NC | $27.45 | 1 |
| ND | $28.33 | 1 |
| NE | $27.13 | 1 |
| NH | $29.27 | 1 |
| NJ | $30.71–$32.03 | 2 |
| NM | $27.58 | 1 |
| NV | $28.63 | 1 |
| NY | $27.76–$33.01 | 5 |
| OH | $27.39 | 1 |
| OK | $26.93 | 1 |
| OR | $28.46–$30.46 | 2 |
| PA | $27.43–$29.71 | 2 |
| PR | $28.88 | 1 |
| RI | $29.40 | 1 |
| SC | $27.46 | 1 |
| SD | $28.28 | 1 |
| TN | $27.02 | 1 |
| TX | $27.29–$29.57 | 8 |
| UT | $27.73 | 1 |
| VA | $28.27–$32.22 | 2 |
| VI | $28.88 | 1 |
| VT | $28.24 | 1 |
| WA | $29.54–$32.72 | 2 |
| WI | $27.62 | 1 |
| WV | $27.00 | 1 |
| WY | $28.55 | 1 |
How the 29260 rate is calculated
Each of 29260’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 · 29260
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 0.38Practice expense 0.46Malpractice 0.02
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 29260
The CMS indicators that decide how 29260 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 29260
Joint strapping
| 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) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| 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 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
29260 without 50 · national office
$28.72
Joint strapping
29260-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$43.08
Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).
29260 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
29260 vs 29240 vs 29280 vs 29200: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 29240Shoulder strapping
- Choose 29240 when the strapping is applied to the shoulder; 29260 is for the elbow or wrist.
- 29280Hand strapping
- Choose 29280 for strapping of the hand or fingers. Strapping at the wrist or elbow is reported with 29260.
- 29200Chest strapping
- Code 29200 describes strapping at the thorax, not an elbow or wrist.
29260 billing questions
When should 29260 be selected instead of 29240 or 29280?
Use 29260 for strapping at the elbow or wrist. Code 29240 is for the shoulder, while 29280 is for the hand or fingers.
What documentation supports reporting 29260?
Document the elbow or wrist treated, the clinical reason for support, laterality, and the strapping service performed.
How is bilateral strapping reported?
For bilateral elbow or wrist strapping, report modifier 50; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
How does the multiple procedure rule affect 29260?
When it is performed with other procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are paid at 50%.
Is same-day care included in 29260?
Yes. Its 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
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
Fee sheets
Put 29260 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →