CPT code 29830: Elbow arthroscopy, diagnostic examination2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California
Diagnostic elbow arthroscopy evaluates the joint, with optional synovial biopsy, when no separate therapeutic arthroscopic procedure is performed.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 29830 in California.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
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What 29830 covers
An orthopedic surgeon uses an arthroscope to inspect the elbow joint and assess intra-articular structures. The examination may include a synovial biopsy when tissue sampling is needed to investigate suspected joint disease. It is typically performed in an operating room or other surgical facility for patients whose elbow symptoms or suspected pathology require direct visualization after evaluation by less invasive means.
Report this code for the diagnostic examination, not as an additional service for the inspection that accompanies arthroscopic treatment in the same elbow. The operative report should identify the side, findings, and any biopsy performed. This major surgery has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, the highest-valued is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%. For bilateral reporting with modifier 50, payment is 150%. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code; 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 29830 pays more and less in California
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
29 of 29 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield, CA | Unavailable | $446.64 |
| Chico, CA | Unavailable | $443.26 |
| El Centro, CA | Unavailable | $443.47 |
| Fresno, CA | Unavailable | $443.26 |
| Hanford, CA | Unavailable | $443.26 |
| Los Angeles, CA | Unavailable | $471.10 |
| Madera, CA | Unavailable | $443.26 |
| Marin County, CA | Unavailable | $519.95 |
| Merced, CA | Unavailable | $443.26 |
| Modesto, CA | Unavailable | $443.26 |
| Napa, CA | Unavailable | $496.81 |
| Oxnard, CA | Unavailable | $466.72 |
| Redding, CA | Unavailable | $443.26 |
| Rest of California | Unavailable | $443.26 |
| Riverside, CA | Unavailable | $456.48 |
| Sacramento, CA | Unavailable | $460.75 |
| Salinas, CA | Unavailable | $458.97 |
| San Benito County, CA | Unavailable | $532.60 |
| San Diego, CA | Unavailable | $466.67 |
| San Francisco, CA | Unavailable | $518.55 |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | Unavailable | $452.15 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | Unavailable | $526.89 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | Unavailable | $468.63 |
| Santa Maria, CA | Unavailable | $459.84 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | Unavailable | $473.04 |
| Stockton, CA | Unavailable | $443.26 |
| Vallejo, CA | Unavailable | $494.80 |
| Visalia, CA | Unavailable | $443.26 |
| Yuba City, CA | Unavailable | $443.26 |
How the 29830 rate is calculated
Each of 29830’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 · 29830
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work5.73
5.73 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense6.19
6.19 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.23
1.23 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
13.1500
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$439.22
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 29830
29830 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 29830
Elbow arthroscopy, diagnostic examination
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.69/0.21 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 29830
Elbow arthroscopy, diagnostic examination
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.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
29830 without 50 · national facility
$439.22
Elbow arthroscopy, diagnostic examination
29830-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$658.83
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).
29830 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 29834Elbow arthroscopyLoose or foreign body removal
- Use 29830 for diagnostic elbow inspection, with or without synovial biopsy. Use 29834 when the surgeon arthroscopically removes a loose or foreign body from the elbow.
- 29835Elbow arthroscopyPartial synovectomy
- 29830 describes diagnostic examination; 29835 describes partial synovectomy. Choose 29835 when synovial tissue is surgically removed, rather than merely inspected or sampled.
- 29840Wrist arthroscopyDiagnostic examination
- Both are diagnostic arthroscopy codes, but 29830 applies to the elbow and 29840 to the wrist.
29830 billing questions
When should this be reported instead of an elbow arthroscopy treatment code?
Report 29830 for diagnostic inspection, with or without synovial biopsy, when no separate therapeutic arthroscopic procedure is performed. Use the code for the specific treatment when the surgeon performs arthroscopic treatment in that elbow.
Can diagnostic inspection be billed separately when treatment is performed?
The inspection used to identify pathology is generally part of the arthroscopic treatment performed in the same elbow. Do not separately report 29830 for that diagnostic look.
What documentation supports 29830?
Document the side, reason for direct joint inspection, structures and findings assessed, and whether a synovial biopsy was obtained. The operative note should distinguish diagnostic inspection from any treatment performed.
How is bilateral elbow arthroscopy reported?
For a bilateral procedure, report modifier 50; CMS pays the service at 150%.
What payment rules apply when other procedures are performed in the same session?
Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%. The code has a 90-day global period, and Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery.
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
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