$81.10
Choose 29405 for application of a short leg cast. Choose 29440 when the cast is already applied and the service adds a walking support.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
29440 Cast walker Medicare reimbursement rates in Kentucky
Report this service when a clinician adds a walking support to a cast that has already been applied, allowing the patient to bear weight on it. Compare 29440 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Kentucky.
Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.
What does Medicare pay for 29440 in Kentucky?
Kentucky has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$41.31
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Kentucky
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$24.98
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Kentucky
One mapped payment locality.
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Orthopedic casting
About 29440: Walking support added to existing cast
Report this service when a clinician adds a walking support to a cast that has already been applied, allowing the patient to bear weight on it.
This service modifies an existing cast by adding a walking support, such as a walker or walking heel, so the patient can bear weight on the cast. It is typically performed in an orthopedic or podiatry clinic or cast room when a lower-extremity cast is being converted for walking after its initial application.
Report 29440 for the addition to the previously applied cast, not for applying a new walking cast. Documentation should identify the existing cast, the support added, the treated side, and the clinical reason for the modification. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. For a bilateral service reported with modifier 50, payment is 150%. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 29440
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included.
- Multiple procedures
- Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- Assistant at surgery
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU0.56 · 42%
- Practice expense (office) RVU0.71 · 54%
- Malpractice RVU0.05 · 4%
14
Medicare services in 2024 · #6094 by national volume
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.
29440 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Kentucky, from the same CMS release.
$74.83
29425 covers application of a short leg walking cast. 29440 covers adding a walker to a previously applied cast.
$128.29
29435 is for application of a patellar tendon-bearing cast. It is not the code for adding a walking support to an existing cast.
Compare 29440 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
1 of 1 payment localities
Kentucky →
Office / nonfacility
$41.31
Facility
$24.98
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How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 29440 in Kentucky.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,294
- Code
- 29440
- Physician work
- 0.56
- Practice expense
- 0.71
- Malpractice
- 0.05
GPCI2026.csv
55
- Locality
- Kentucky
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.889
- Malpractice
- 0.915
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 0.56 | × 1.000 | 0.5600 |
| Practice expense | 0.71 | × 0.889 | 0.6312 |
| Malpractice | 0.05 | × 0.915 | 0.0458 |
| Total RVUs | 1.2369 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Kentucky$41.31
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.56 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 0.71 | 0.889 |
| Malpractice | 0.05 | 0.915 |
(0.56 × 1 + 0.71 × 0.889 + 0.05 × 0.915) × $33.4009 = $41.31
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.56 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 0.16 | 0.889 |
| Malpractice | 0.05 | 0.915 |
(0.56 × 1 + 0.16 × 0.889 + 0.05 × 0.915) × $33.4009 = $24.98
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
29440 billing questions
How is 29440 different from applying a walking cast?
29440 adds a walking support to a cast that is already in place. Use the applicable cast-application code when the service is applying a new walking cast.
What should the record show?
Document the existing cast, the walking support added, the treated side, and why the cast was modified for weight bearing.
Does the 0-day global period include same-day care?
Yes. Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in the service.
How is modifier 50 handled for bilateral service?
CMS pays a bilateral service reported with modifier 50 at 150%.
What happens when other procedures are performed in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are paid at 50%. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for 29440, and 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 indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.
Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.
3,29129405,,Appl short leg cast,A,,0.78,1.72,,0.76,,0.13,2.63,1.67,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,29229425,,Appl short leg cast walking,A,,0.78,1.55,,0.66,,0.09,2.42,1.53,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,29329435,,Appl patllr tdn bearing cast,A,,1.15,2.78,,1.04,,0.24,4.17,2.43,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,29429440,,Adding walker to prev cast,A,,0.56,0.71,,0.16,,0.05,1.32,0.77,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,29529445,,Appl rigid tot cntc leg cast,A,,1.74,2.02,,0.77,,0.20,3.96,2.71,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,29629450,,Application clubfoot cast,A,,2.03,2.12,,0.75,,0.21,4.36,2.99,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,29729505,,Application long leg splint,A,,0.67,2.48,,0.84,,0.13,3.28,1.64,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5208102,IN,00,INDIANA,1.000,0.927,0.486
5305102,IA,00,IOWA,1.000,0.915,0.397
5405202,KS,00,KANSAS,1.000,0.904,0.504
5515102,KY,00,KENTUCKY,1.000,0.889,0.915
5607202,LA,01,NEW ORLEANS,1.000,0.941,1.136
5707202,LA,99,REST OF LOUISIANA,1.000,0.885,0.958
5814112,ME,03,SOUTHERN MAINE,1.000,0.991,0.631