How Much Does Plantar Fasciitis Embolization Cost?

This article was medically authored by Dr. Jay Patel and last reviewed for accuracy on 09/09/2026.

Heel pain from plantar fasciitis often improves with stretching, supportive shoes, orthotics, physical therapy, medications, injections or other conservative treatments. But for some patients, the pain does not go away. It can persist for months, interfere with your ability to walk or exercise, and leave you in pain from something as simple as taking the first few steps.

For patients with persistent plantar fasciitis pain who have already tried and failed conservative treatment, Plantar Fasciitis Embolization (PFE) may provide another option for relief.

PFE is a minimally invasive, image-guided procedure that targets abnormal blood vessels associated with chronic inflammation around the plantar fascia. Performed by our interventional radiologists, access is gained through a tiny puncture rather than a large incision in the foot. As a result, recovery is faster and patients can go home on the same day as their procedure.

Now, if your doctor recommends PFE, we know you will have questions like how much does plantar fasciitis embolization cost? In this post, we help you understand what insurance will cover, and how much you might have to pay yourself.

Key Takeaways

• Plantar Fasciitis Embolization (PFE) is an alternative to a surgical procedure for chronic plantar fasciitis pain that hasn’t responded to conservative treatment
  
• As a relatively new procedure, not every insurance plan will cover PFE. Even with insurance coverage, the cost of plantar fasciitis embolization will vary based on your plan’s co-insurance, deductible and out-of-pocket maximum
  
• The billing team at Texas Endovascular Associates helps patients navigate insurance coverage to determine out of pocket costs prior to booking PFE treatment

Who May Be a Candidate for PFE?

PFE is generally considered for patients whose heel pain has moved beyond the early stage of plantar fasciitis.

You may be a candidate if you:

• Have had persistent plantar fasciitis symptoms for at least several months
• Have a diagnosis consistent with plantar fasciitis rather than another cause of heel pain
• Continue to have pain that interferes with walking, work, exercise or normal daily activities
• Have tried conservative treatments without adequate or lasting relief
• Want to avoid or delay plantar fascia surgery
• Prefer a minimally invasive outpatient treatment
• Are medically able to undergo an image-guided arterial procedure

Conservative treatments tried before PFE may include stretching, physical therapy, supportive footwear, orthotics, anti-inflammatory medications, night splints, corticosteroid injections or extracorporeal shockwave therapy.

You do not necessarily need to have tried every available treatment in order to be a PFE candidate. The important question is whether an appropriate course of conservative treatment has failed to provide adequate relief.

Your insurance plan may have its own requirements regarding how long symptoms must be present and which treatments must be documented before it will consider coverage for this procedure.

Does Insurance Cover Plantar Fasciitis Embolization?

The answer to this question is complex, as insurance coverage for PFE varies by plan.

Because plantar fasciitis embolization is a relatively new application of embolization, insurers do not all have the same coverage policy. Some plans may cover the procedure when medical necessity requirements are met and conservative treatment has failed. Other insurers currently classify PFE as investigational, experimental or not medically necessary, so they may may deny coverage.

That makes insurance verification before scheduling the procedure especially important. At Texas Endovascular, our billing team can help review your benefits and determine whether your insurance requires prior authorization before treatment.

What Does the CPT Code for PFE Mean?

Patients sometimes see CPT codes on an insurance authorization, estimate or Explanation of Benefits and assume that a particular code determines whether the procedure is covered.

It does not.

CPT codes are standardized billing codes that describe medical services. Insurance companies then use those codes—along with your diagnosis, medical records, benefit plan and their own medical policies—to decide how a claim will be processed.

Because PFE is an emerging procedure, patients may not see a code literally called “Plantar Fasciitis Embolization.” Instead, you may notice a broader arterial embolization code such as CPT 37242. Without getting bogged down by details, this is what you need to know: the code describes a procedure in which our physicians use a catheter to intentionally reduce or close blood flow through selected arteries for reasons other than treating bleeding or targeting a tumor. The code also includes the imaging guidance needed to perform that embolization.

Alternatively, some payer policies may reference other or unlisted procedure codes depending on the circumstances and the insurer’s coding requirements.

The important here to remember is that:

On its own, a CPT code does not tell you whether your insurance company will pay for it. For that reason, prior to treatment, our billing team can help determine which codes apply to your case and how your particular insurer will process them.

What Does Insurance Typically Pay for When PFE Is Covered?

When a health plan approves PFE as a covered service, the claim may include several components of your care rather than one simple charge.

Depending on your treatment and insurance plan, covered services may include:

• Your initial consultation
• Medically necessary diagnostic testing or imaging
• Our providers’ professional services
• The actual embolization procedure
• Use of the outpatient facility
• Medications and supplies used during the procedure
• Sedation when medically appropriate
• Follow-up care

Exactly how these charges are grouped and billed varies by insurance plan and treatment setting.

Even when all of these services are considered covered, however, your procedure will not be free.

After insurance coverage, you may still be responsible for your deductible, copayment, coinsurance, and/or out-of-pocket maximum.

How Much Does Plantar Fasciitis Embolization Cost If I Have Not Met My Deductible?

If your insurance approves PFE, but you are early in your plan year and still have most of your deductible remaining, you may be responsible for a much larger portion of the cost than if you book treatment at a point where most of your deductible has been met.

(Remember, a deductible is the amount you must pay toward certain covered medical services before your insurance begins sharing more of the cost.)

What If I Have Already Met My Deductible?

If you have already met your deductible, your out-of-pocket cost may be substantially lower. You may only owe your plan’s applicable coinsurance or copayment. However, every individual’s plan requirements are different, and will need to be checked prior to booking treatment.

What If I Have Reached My Out-of-Pocket Maximum?

Your out-of-pocket maximum is the most you generally have to pay during a plan year for covered, in-network services that count toward that limit.

Once you reach that amount, your plan generally pays 100% of additional covered in-network benefits for the remainder of the plan year. Premiums, non-covered services and many out-of-network expenses do not count toward that maximum.

What If My Insurance Says PFE Is Not Covered?

If your plan determines that PFE is not a covered benefit, the usual deductible and coinsurance rules may not protect you in the same way.

Money paid toward a non-covered service generally does not count toward the plan’s out-of-pocket maximum.

If coverage is denied, we may be able to help with your insurer, by asking:

• Why was the procedure denied?
• Does the insurer consider it investigational or simply require additional documentation?
• Is prior authorization required?
• Can the decision be appealed?
• What documentation of previous plantar fasciitis treatments is needed?
• What would the self-pay cost be if insurance will not cover the procedure?

The Texas Endovascular team can help patients understand their benefits and expected financial responsibility before moving forward.

Is PFE Right for You?

If plantar fasciitis has been limiting your life for months and stretching, orthotics, physical therapy, injections or other treatments have not provided lasting relief, surgery is not necessarily your only remaining option.

Plantar Fasciitis Embolization offers a minimally invasive approach that targets the abnormal vascular activity associated with persistent plantar fascia pain without surgically cutting the fascia.

The next step is determining whether your symptoms, previous treatments and medical history make you an appropriate candidate—and whether your insurance plan covers the procedure.

Our team at Texas Endovascular can evaluate your heel pain, determine whether PFE may be appropriate for you and help verify your insurance benefits to determine how much does plantar fasciitis embolization cost in your specific situation. To learn more and begin exploring your treatment options, contact our team to Schedule an Appointment Request a PFE Consultation [/tx-appt-link.]