CPT 29065: Application of Long Arm Cast for Upper/Lower Arm
Medicare pays $112 and commercial payers pay $288 on average nationally for this procedure.
CPT code 29065 describes the application of a long arm cast encasing the upper and lower arm to treat fractures or correct deformities of the forearm, elbow, or humerus; the service is cast application/immobilization and the typical site of service is an outpatient orthopedic clinic, emergency department, or ambulatory surgery center where orthopedic casting is performed.
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National Reimbursement Benchmarks
Commercial averages sit above Medicare for CPT 29065: Blue Cross Blue Shield and BUCA show notably higher means than Medicare’s mean of $111.8, with BUCA averaging $288.4 and Blue Cross Blue Shield averaging $410.6, underscoring a material spread between Medicare and commercial reimbursement on this code. UnitedHealth Group ($148.3 mean), Cigna ($139.3 mean), and Aetna ($88.8 mean) fall between those anchors, illustrating a tiered commercial landscape where some payers align closer to Medicare and others pay substantially more.
Dispersion (P75 minus P25) highlights who is tightest and widest: Aetna’s interquartile range is $116.3 - $42.0 = $74.3, Cigna’s is $174.2 - $92.6 = $81.6, UnitedHealth Group’s is $185.8 - $93.9 = $91.9, Blue Cross Blue Shield’s is $500.6 - $338.4 = $162.2, and BUCA’s is $354.1 - $226.0 = $128.1. Blue Cross Blue Shield and BUCA exhibit the widest dispersion, while Aetna and Cigna show the tightest interquartile spreads.