$65.09–$72.00
Choose 29700 for a gauntlet or boot cast; choose 29705 for a full arm or leg cast.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
29705 Cast removal Medicare reimbursement rates in Pennsylvania
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. Compare 29705 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Pennsylvania.
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 29705 in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania 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
$65.92–$72.41
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
Facility setting
$39.55–$42.51
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.
Cast services
About 29705: Full arm or leg cast removal or bivalving
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.
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.
CMS billing rules for 29705
- 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 RVU0.74 · 36%
- Practice expense (office) RVU1.21 · 58%
- Malpractice RVU0.13 · 6%
1.5K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2685 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.
29705 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Pennsylvania, from the same CMS release.
$129.24–$142.58
Choose 29710 for a shoulder or hip spica cast. Code 29705 is for a full arm or leg cast.
$63.74–$69.94
Choose 29730 when a localized window is made in a cast that stays in place; 29705 covers full-cast removal or bivalving.
Compare 29705 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
Metropolitan Philadelphia →
Office / nonfacility
$72.41
Facility
$42.51
Rest Of Pennsylvania →
Office / nonfacility
$65.92
Facility
$39.55
Need rates for a whole code list?
Fee-sheet and API access are in early access. Tell us which codes and locations your team needs.
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 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.
3,30429581,,Appl multlayer cmprn sys leg,A,,0.59,1.90,,0.09,,0.01,2.50,0.69,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,30529584,,Appl mltlay cmprn sys up arm,A,,0.34,1.88,,0.05,,0.01,2.23,0.40,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,30629700,,Rmvl/bivlv gauntlet boot/cst,A,,0.56,1.42,,0.25,,0.09,2.07,0.90,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,30729705,,Rmvl/bivlv full arm/leg cast,A,,0.74,1.21,,0.35,,0.13,2.08,1.22,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,30829710,,Rmvl/bivlv sho/hip spica,A,,1.31,2.51,,0.59,,0.27,4.09,2.17,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,30929720,,Repair spica body cst/jacket,A,,0.66,2.14,,0.36,,0.14,2.94,1.16,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,31029730,,Windowing of cast,A,,0.73,1.16,,0.31,,0.12,2.01,1.16,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00