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CPT code 29821: Shoulder arthroscopy, complete synovectomy2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports arthroscopic removal of synovial tissue throughout the shoulder joint when disease requires a complete rather than partial synovectomy.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities726 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $557.46 for 29821 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 29821

Shoulder arthroscopy, complete synovectomy

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
7.69
Total RVUs
16.69
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$557.46

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 29821 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 29821 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 29821 covers

An orthopedic surgeon performs this procedure through small shoulder incisions using an arthroscope and instruments to remove diseased synovial tissue throughout the operative joint. It may be used for substantial synovial inflammation, including in a shoulder affected by inflammatory arthritis. The work is therapeutic, not merely inspection or biopsy, and is commonly performed in a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center.

Choose this code when the documented arthroscopic synovectomy is complete; limited removal belongs to the partial-synovectomy level. The operative report should describe the affected synovium, the extent of excision, and the therapeutic work performed. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When related endoscopies are performed together, endoscopy-family pricing applies. For bilateral procedures, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.

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.

Where 29821 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

29821 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$503.99
AlaskaUnavailable$678.99
ArizonaUnavailable$542.33
ArkansasUnavailable$497.38
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$572.56
Austin, TXUnavailable$566.56
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$566.15
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$591.95
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$531.38
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$545.96

29821 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

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Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

View every state and territory as a table
29821 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the 29821 rate is calculated

Each of 29821’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

How the rate is built · 29821

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work7.69

7.69 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense7.46

7.46 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice1.54

1.54 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

16.6900

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$557.46

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 29821

29821 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 29821

Shoulder arthroscopy, complete synovectomy

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures3Endoscopy family rules apply.
Bilateral (modifier 50)1Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.10/0.69/0.21Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 29821

Shoulder arthroscopy, complete synovectomy

90-day global period ends

Dec 30, 2026

Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).

Visit on Oct 31, 2026

Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.

  • 24Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 50 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

29821 without 50 · national facility

$557.46

Shoulder arthroscopy, complete synovectomy

29821-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$836.19

Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).

When to use modifier 50

29821 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 29821

    Shoulder arthroscopy, complete synovectomy7.69 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29820

    Shoulder synovectomy, partial, arthroscopic7.03 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29805

    Shoulder arthroscopy, diagnostic examination5.88 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29822

    Shoulder debridement, limited, one or two structures6.85 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29823

    Arthroscopic debridement, extensive, three or more structures7.78 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

29820Shoulder synovectomyPartial, arthroscopic
This code represents complete synovectomy; 29820 represents partial synovectomy. Base the choice on the documented extent of synovial removal.
29805Shoulder arthroscopyDiagnostic examination
29805 is diagnostic shoulder arthroscopy, with or without synovial biopsy. This code describes therapeutic complete synovectomy.
29822Shoulder debridementLimited, one or two structures
29822 describes limited arthroscopic debridement, not complete synovial excision. Report the procedure that matches the documented tissue work.
29823Arthroscopic debridementExtensive, three or more structures
29823 describes extensive arthroscopic debridement. It is distinct from complete synovectomy, which targets removal of synovial tissue.

Codes related to 29821

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

Codes related to 29821
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
29820Shoulder synovectomy, partial, arthroscopicThe partial shoulder synovectomy level; distinguish it by the extent of synovial removal.No office rate
Used instead
29805Shoulder arthroscopy, diagnostic examinationDiagnostic shoulder arthroscopy, including possible synovial biopsy, when therapeutic complete synovectomy is not performed.No office rate
29822Shoulder debridement, limited, one or two structuresShoulder arthroscopic debridement at the limited level, for debridement rather than complete synovectomy.No office rate
29823Arthroscopic debridement, extensive, three or more structuresShoulder arthroscopic debridement at the extensive level, when extensive debridement—not complete synovectomy—is performed.No office rate

29821 billing questions

How do I distinguish this from 29820?

Use 29821 for a complete shoulder synovectomy and 29820 when the documented synovectomy is partial. The operative report should establish the extent of synovial tissue removal.

Can diagnostic arthroscopy be reported separately?

The therapeutic synovectomy is the service represented here. A diagnostic inspection performed as part of that operative work should not be treated as a separate diagnostic procedure.

What documentation supports complete synovectomy?

Document the synovial disease, the shoulder joint treated, and the extent of synovial removal. The record should support complete rather than limited or partial excision.

How is bilateral surgery reported?

For procedures on both shoulders, report modifier 50; CMS pays bilateral procedures at 150%.

What postoperative care is included?

The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
RVUs for 29821PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,321 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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