CPT 29240: Shoulder Strapping with Elastic Adhesive Tape
Medicare pays $30 and commercial payers pay $121 on average nationally for this procedure.
CPT code 29240 describes application of elastic adhesive tape (strapping) to the shoulder to immobilize the joint and limit abnormal motion; the service is a therapeutic strapping/orthopedic support procedure typically performed in an outpatient clinic, orthopaedic office, or emergency department to manage shoulder strains, dislocations, sprains, and certain fractures.
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National Reimbursement Benchmarks
Medicare’s mean rate centers at $29.8, which is substantially lower than the BUCA commercial average of $120.7; that gap of $90.9 highlights a meaningful split between fee schedules tied to public payers and consolidated commercial networks. Blue Cross Blue Shield and UnitedHealth Group have notably higher central tendencies (means of $180.1 and $53.0, respectively) compared with Medicare, while Aetna and Cigna cluster below many commercial peers.
Dispersion measured by the interquartile range (P75 minus P25) is widest for Blue Cross Blue Shield at $70.1 and narrowest for Aetna at $25.5, indicating BCBS contracts vary much more across markets while Aetna’s reimbursments are relatively tight. UnitedHealth Group and Cigna show moderate dispersion ($33.5 and $35.7 respectively), and BUCA’s IQR is $30.7, positioning it between the tightest and widest payers.