Billing code 29046: Body castMedicare rate & RVUs in Illinois
Report this service when a body cast extends over the head and torso and incorporates both thighs for the prescribed immobilization.
Medicare pays $349.65–$386.73 for 29046 in the office in Illinois, from Rest Of Illinois to Chicago. Which amount applies depends on the service address.
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 9 sections
What 29046 covers
This service covers applying a body cast that extends from the shoulders toward the hips, includes the head, and incorporates both thighs. An orthopedic surgeon or other qualified clinician applies the cast when the treatment plan requires this specific extent of immobilization. The defining feature is the combination of head and bilateral thigh extensions, not simply a torso cast or a cast that includes one thigh.
Select the code from the cast’s documented extent. Record that the head and both thighs are included; a cast without the head extension or with only one thigh belongs to a different code in the family. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. 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 29046 pays more and less in Illinois
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
4 payment localities
$349.65 to $386.73
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | $386.73 | $200.43 |
| East St. Louis | $358.76 | $188.22 |
| Rest Of Illinois | $349.65 | $180.40 |
| Suburban Chicago | $384.27 | $193.89 |
How the 29046 rate is calculated
Each of 29046’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 · 29046
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work2.35
2.35 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense8.07
8.07 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.48
0.48 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
10.9000
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$364.07
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 29046
The CMS indicators that decide how 29046 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 29046
Body 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) | 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 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
29046 without 51 · national office
$364.07
Body cast
29046-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$182.04
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%).
29046 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 29035Body cast
- Choose 29035 for a body cast incorporating both thighs without the head extension. This code includes the head as well as both thighs.
- 29040Body cast
- Choose 29040 when the body cast includes the head but not the thigh extensions. This code also incorporates both thighs.
- 29044Body cast
- Choose 29044 when the head and one thigh are included. This code describes the head and both thighs.
29046 billing questions
How does this code differ from a body cast that includes one thigh?
This code is for a cast that includes the head and both thighs. A head-and-one-thigh cast is described by 29044.
Should modifier 50 be appended because both thighs are included?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; the bilateral cast extent is represented by the code itself.
What documentation supports selecting this code?
Document the cast’s extent, including the head and both thighs. That distinguishes it from head-only or one-thigh variants.
How does the 0-day global period affect same-day care?
Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in the procedure. The code has a 0-day global period.
What happens when this cast application is performed with another procedure?
Under the standard multiple-procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures in the same session are paid at 50%.
Can an assistant or another surgeon be reported for this service?
Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity. Co-surgeons and team surgery are 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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