CPT code 29822: Shoulder debridement, limited, one or two structures2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $516.04 for 29822 nationally in a facility.

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

What 29822 covers

An orthopedic surgeon uses a shoulder arthroscope and instruments through small incisions to remove or smooth damaged, frayed, or inflamed tissue. The treated structures may include cartilage, labrum, tendon, or other shoulder tissues. The code represents limited work on one or two discrete structures, rather than extensive debridement across three or more. It is typically performed in a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center for problems such as degenerative fraying or tissue damage found during shoulder arthroscopy.

Choose the code from the operative report’s account of which structures were actually debrided and the extent of that work. The report should identify the treated structures and describe the debridement; routine scope inspection alone does not establish the service. Medicare 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 surgery, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeons and team surgery are 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 29822 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

29822 rates by state

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

How the 29822 rate is calculated

Each of 29822’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.

Payment rules and modifiers for 29822

29822 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 50

29822 compared with similar codes

How to choose

29823Arthroscopic debridementExtensive, three or more structures

Use 29822 for one or two debrided structures; 29823 describes extensive debridement involving three or more structures.

29805Shoulder arthroscopyDiagnostic examination

Code 29805 represents diagnostic shoulder arthroscopy. Use 29822 when the surgeon performs therapeutic debridement.

29820Shoulder synovectomyPartial, arthroscopic

Code 29820 is for partial synovectomy. Code 29822 is for limited debridement of one or two structures, not synovectomy as the defined service.

29819Shoulder arthroscopyLoose or foreign body removal

Code 29819 describes arthroscopic removal of a loose body. Code 29822 describes limited tissue debridement instead.

Codes related to 29822

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

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

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates