$94.59–$98.97
Choose 29405 for a standard short leg cast. Use 29445 when the applied cast is specifically a rigid total contact cast.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
29445 Total contact cast Medicare reimbursement rates in New Jersey
Reports application of a rigid total contact leg cast, commonly used to off-load a plantar foot ulcer by distributing pressure across the foot. Compare 29445 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in New Jersey.
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 29445 in New Jersey?
New Jersey has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$141.45–$147.18
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
Facility setting
$95.86–$98.75
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
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.
Casting
About 29445: Rigid total contact leg cast application
Reports application of a rigid total contact leg cast, commonly used to off-load a plantar foot ulcer by distributing pressure across the foot.
A rigid total contact cast is molded closely around the foot and lower leg to distribute pressure and limit movement. Podiatrists, orthopedists, and wound care clinicians most often apply it to off-load a plantar foot ulcer, including a neuropathic ulcer, in an office or facility setting. The close-fitting cast can support protected ambulation while reducing pressure on the affected area.
Select this code when the service is application of a rigid total contact cast, rather than a standard short leg cast, walking cast, or patellar tendon-bearing cast. Document the treated side, clinical indication and cast type, including the total-contact technique. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When bilateral services are reported with modifier 50, payment is at 150%. In a same-session multiple-procedure situation, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are reduced to 50%. An assistant at surgery is not paid; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 29445
- 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 RVU1.74 · 44%
- Practice expense (office) RVU2.02 · 51%
- Malpractice RVU0.20 · 5%
16.2K
Medicare services in 2024 · #1230 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.
29445 compared with similar codes
Office rates for New Jersey, from the same CMS release.
$86.93–$90.96
Code 29425 identifies a walking short leg cast; 29445 identifies a rigid total contact cast, commonly used for plantar off-loading.
$150.14–$157.10
Code 29435 is for a patellar tendon-bearing cast. It is not the code for a rigid total contact cast applied for plantar pressure off-loading.
Compare 29445 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Northern Nj →
Office / nonfacility
$147.18
Facility
$98.75
Rest Of New Jersey →
Office / nonfacility
$141.45
Facility
$95.86
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29445 billing questions
When should I choose this code instead of 29405?
Use 29445 for a rigid total contact cast. Code 29405 describes application of a short leg cast without the total-contact distinction.
How does this differ from 29425?
Code 29425 is for a walking short leg cast. Choose 29445 when the service is specifically application of a rigid total contact cast, often for plantar pressure off-loading.
What documentation supports the code?
Record the indication, treated side, and that a rigid total contact cast was applied. For ulcer off-loading, identify the affected foot and ulcer site.
How is bilateral application reported?
For bilateral services, report modifier 50; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
What same-day services are included or reduced?
Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in the 0-day global period. If multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%.
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.
3,29229425,,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
3,29829515,,Application short leg splint,A,,0.71,1.64,,0.66,,0.12,2.47,1.49,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00