Billing code 29705: Cast removalMedicare rate & RVUs
Report 29705 when a clinician removes or bivalves a full arm or leg cast, such as during fracture follow-up or to relieve cast pressure.
Medicare pays $69.47 for 29705 nationally in the office and $40.75 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $61.67–$88.04.
Medicare rate · 29705
Cast removal
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
- Work RVUs
- 0.74
- Total RVUs
- 2.08
- Global days
- 000
National rate · 2026
$69.47
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for 29705 → · 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 29705 covers
This service covers removing a full arm or leg cast or bivalving it by cutting through the cast and padding to separate it into two sides. Orthopedic clinicians may perform it during fracture follow-up, when immobilization is changing, or when pressure or swelling calls for cast release. It can also allow access to examine the underlying area. The code is for a full arm or leg cast, rather than a gauntlet or boot cast or a shoulder or hip spica.
Select 29705 based on the cast type and the work performed. Document the body site, whether the cast was removed or bivalved, and the clinical reason. A 0-day global period means same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. In a session with multiple procedures, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Modifier 50 for a bilateral procedure is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery services are not paid; 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 29705 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
$61.67 to $88.04
109 of 109 payment localities
29705 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.
$61.67
$82.51
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 | $82.51 | 1 |
| AL | $62.54 | 1 |
| AR | $61.67 | 1 |
| AZ | $67.60 | 1 |
| CA | $71.76–$88.04 | 29 |
| CO | $71.41 | 1 |
| CT | $73.99 | 1 |
| DC | $78.49 | 1 |
| DE | $68.67 | 1 |
| FL | $69.88–$77.77 | 3 |
| GA | $65.94–$71.07 | 2 |
| GU | $73.18 | 1 |
| HI | $73.18 | 1 |
| IA | $63.42 | 1 |
| ID | $63.95 | 1 |
| IL | $68.40–$75.47 | 4 |
| IN | $64.29 | 1 |
| KS | $63.44 | 1 |
| KY | $64.62 | 1 |
| LA | $64.64–$67.68 | 2 |
| MA | $71.13–$77.85 | 2 |
| MD | $69.85–$78.49 | 3 |
| ME | $64.60–$67.51 | 2 |
| MI | $66.52–$71.04 | 2 |
| MN | $67.59 | 1 |
| MO | $63.78–$67.54 | 3 |
| MS | $62.72 | 1 |
| MT | $69.47 | 1 |
| NC | $65.20 | 1 |
| ND | $66.89 | 1 |
| NE | $63.66 | 1 |
| NH | $70.59 | 1 |
| NJ | $74.60–$77.79 | 2 |
| NM | $66.99 | 1 |
| NV | $68.79 | 1 |
| NY | $66.16–$82.42 | 5 |
| OH | $65.99 | 1 |
| OK | $64.18 | 1 |
| OR | $68.02–$73.24 | 2 |
| PA | $65.92–$72.41 | 2 |
| PR | $69.85 | 1 |
| RI | $70.81 | 1 |
| SC | $65.75 | 1 |
| SD | $66.59 | 1 |
| TN | $63.79 | 1 |
| TX | $65.53–$71.37 | 8 |
| UT | $66.61 | 1 |
| VA | $67.51–$78.49 | 2 |
| VI | $69.85 | 1 |
| VT | $66.92 | 1 |
| WA | $70.90–$79.09 | 2 |
| WI | $64.77 | 1 |
| WV | $66.05 | 1 |
| WY | $68.34 | 1 |
How the 29705 rate is calculated
Each of 29705’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 · 29705
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 0.74Practice expense 1.21Malpractice 0.13
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 29705
The CMS indicators that decide how 29705 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 29705
Cast removal
| 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
29705 without 50 · national office
$69.47
Cast removal
29705-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$104.21
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).
29705 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
29705 vs 29700 vs 29710 vs 29730: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 29700Cast removal
- Choose 29700 for a gauntlet or boot cast; choose 29705 for a full arm or leg cast.
- 29710Spica cast removal
- Choose 29710 for a shoulder or hip spica cast. Code 29705 is for a full arm or leg cast.
- 29730Cast adjustment
- Choose 29730 when a localized window is made in a cast that stays in place; 29705 covers full-cast removal or bivalving.
29705 billing questions
How does 29705 differ from 29700?
Use 29705 for a full arm or leg cast. Code 29700 is for removal or bivalving of a gauntlet or boot cast.
When is 29710 the better choice?
Use 29710 for a shoulder or hip spica cast. The cast type, not simply the body area being treated, distinguishes it from 29705.
Is opening a window in a cast reported with 29705?
A localized opening that leaves the cast in place is cast windowing, reported with 29730. Code 29705 describes removal or bivalving of a full arm or leg cast.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral cast work?
CMS lists this as a bilateral procedure; modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Document the bilateral service.
How is 29705 paid when other procedures are performed in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and the other procedures are paid at 50%. The code has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included.
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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