Billing code 29520: StrappingMedicare rate & RVUs
Reports tape-based support applied to the hip region, such as to stabilize or limit motion of symptomatic soft tissues after a hip injury.
Medicare pays $34.74 for 29520 nationally in the office and $15.36 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $31.51–$45.57.
Medicare rate · 29520
Strapping
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- Work RVUs
- 0.38
- Total RVUs
- 1.04
- Global days
- 000
National rate · 2026
$34.74
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for 29520 → · 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 29520 covers
Code 29520 represents tape-based external support applied around the hip region to stabilize or limit motion of symptomatic soft tissues, such as with a hip sprain or related injury. A physician or other qualified clinician may perform the application in an office or other treatment setting. The service is strapping of the hip region, not application of a splint or a multilayer compression system.
Report this code when the hip is the site being strapped, rather than choosing a code for an adjacent knee, ankle, or foot. Documentation should identify the treated side, the indication, and the strapping performed. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. For bilateral treatment, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; 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 29520 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
$31.51 to $45.57
109 of 109 payment localities
29520 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.
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$31.51
$42.34
Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.
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| State / territory | Office rate range | Localities |
|---|---|---|
| AK | $42.34 | 1 |
| AL | $31.88 | 1 |
| AR | $31.51 | 1 |
| AZ | $34.02 | 1 |
| CA | $36.88–$45.57 | 29 |
| CO | $36.21 | 1 |
| CT | $36.73 | 1 |
| DC | $39.32 | 1 |
| DE | $34.51 | 1 |
| FL | $33.95–$36.14 | 3 |
| GA | $32.46–$35.19 | 2 |
| GU | $37.57 | 1 |
| HI | $37.57 | 1 |
| IA | $32.69 | 1 |
| ID | $32.82 | 1 |
| IL | $33.04–$35.67 | 4 |
| IN | $32.98 | 1 |
| KS | $32.49 | 1 |
| KY | $32.30 | 1 |
| LA | $32.23–$33.50 | 2 |
| MA | $36.02–$39.43 | 2 |
| MD | $35.10–$39.32 | 3 |
| ME | $32.87–$34.42 | 2 |
| MI | $32.89–$34.21 | 2 |
| MN | $35.13 | 1 |
| MO | $31.73–$33.70 | 3 |
| MS | $31.63 | 1 |
| MT | $34.74 | 1 |
| NC | $33.16 | 1 |
| ND | $34.54 | 1 |
| NE | $32.86 | 1 |
| NH | $35.59 | 1 |
| NJ | $37.27–$39.03 | 2 |
| NM | $33.00 | 1 |
| NV | $34.70 | 1 |
| NY | $33.55–$39.94 | 5 |
| OH | $32.85 | 1 |
| OK | $32.34 | 1 |
| OR | $34.55–$37.26 | 2 |
| PA | $32.94–$35.92 | 2 |
| PR | $34.97 | 1 |
| RI | $35.66 | 1 |
| SC | $33.04 | 1 |
| SD | $34.52 | 1 |
| TN | $32.61 | 1 |
| TX | $32.76–$35.98 | 8 |
| UT | $33.40 | 1 |
| VA | $34.27–$39.32 | 2 |
| VI | $34.97 | 1 |
| VT | $34.35 | 1 |
| WA | $35.97–$40.24 | 2 |
| WI | $33.59 | 1 |
| WV | $32.04 | 1 |
| WY | $34.65 | 1 |
How the 29520 rate is calculated
Each of 29520’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 · 29520
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 0.38Practice expense 0.65Malpractice 0.01
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 29520
The CMS indicators that decide how 29520 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 29520
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) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| 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
29520 without 50 · national office
$34.74
Strapping
29520-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$52.11
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).
29520 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
29520 vs 29530 vs 29540 vs 29505: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 29530Knee strapping
- Choose 29520 for strapping at the hip and 29530 when the treated site is the knee.
- 29540Ankle/foot strapping
- Choose 29520 for the hip region; 29540 describes strapping at the ankle or foot.
- 29505Splint application
- 29520 is tape-based hip support. Use 29505 when a long-leg splint is applied instead.
29520 billing questions
When should 29520 be chosen instead of a knee or ankle strapping code?
Use 29520 when the hip region is strapped. Choose a knee, ankle, or foot strapping code when that adjacent site is the area treated.
What documentation supports reporting 29520?
Document the hip-region site and side, the clinical indication, and the strapping actually applied. The record should make clear that the service was not a splint application.
How is bilateral hip strapping reported?
Use modifier 50 for bilateral treatment. CMS payment for the bilateral procedure is 150%.
Is same-day care separately payable with 29520?
The code has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid for this service?
Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity. CMS does not permit co-surgeons or team surgery for this code.
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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