CPT code 29837: Elbow arthroscopy, limited debridement2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Missouri
Reports arthroscopic cleanup of a limited area of damaged tissue in the elbow when the surgeon performs therapeutic debridement rather than synovectomy or loose-body removal.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 29837 in Missouri.
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
On this page 9 sections
What 29837 covers
An orthopedic surgeon uses an arthroscope and instruments through small portals to remove a limited amount of damaged tissue from inside the elbow joint. The work may address a focal area of unstable articular cartilage or synovial tissue. This is a therapeutic procedure, commonly performed in an operating room or ambulatory surgery center for a patient with symptomatic elbow-joint pathology; it is distinct from simply inspecting the joint or removing a loose body.
Select this code when the operative report supports limited debridement, rather than extensive debridement or a separately defined procedure such as synovectomy. Document the treated tissue, location, and extent of work. 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%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; 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 29837 pays more and less in Missouri
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Kansas City, MO | Unavailable | $491.54 |
| Metropolitan St. Louis, MO | Unavailable | $495.74 |
| Rest of Missouri | Unavailable | $473.67 |
How the 29837 rate is calculated
Each of 29837’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 · 29837
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work6.83
6.83 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense6.89
6.89 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.45
1.45 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
15.1700
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$506.69
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 29837
29837 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 29837
Elbow arthroscopy, limited debridement
| 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 | 3 | Endoscopy family rules apply. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| 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 · 29837
Elbow arthroscopy, limited debridement
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
29837 without 50 · national facility
$506.69
Elbow arthroscopy, limited debridement
29837-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$760.04
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).
29837 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 29838Elbow debridementExtensive arthroscopic treatment
- Both report elbow arthroscopic debridement, but 29838 is for extensive work. The operative report should support the extent selected.
- 29834Elbow arthroscopyLoose or foreign body removal
- 29834 reports removal of a loose or foreign body; 29837 reports limited debridement of tissue.
- 29835Elbow arthroscopyPartial synovectomy
- 29835 is for partial synovectomy. Choose 29837 when the work is limited debridement rather than removal of synovium as a synovectomy.
- 29836Elbow arthroscopyComplete synovectomy
- 29836 reports complete synovectomy. It is not the code for limited debridement of other elbow-joint tissue.
29837 billing questions
How does limited debridement differ from extensive debridement?
Use 29837 for limited debridement and 29838 for extensive debridement. The operative report should describe the tissue treated and the extent of the work.
When is 29834 a better choice?
29834 describes arthroscopic removal of a loose or foreign body. Use 29837 for limited tissue debridement, not simply because fragments are present.
Can diagnostic elbow arthroscopy be reported separately?
Diagnostic inspection performed as part of the surgical arthroscopy is included in the operative service. Code 29830 is for diagnostic arthroscopy when no therapeutic arthroscopic procedure is performed.
How should bilateral elbow procedures be reported?
For a bilateral procedure, report modifier 50; CMS pays the bilateral procedure 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 paid?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeons are paid only with 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
Fee sheets · Coming soon
Put 29837 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Your codes at your locality, with payer contracts beside Medicare.
Join the waitlist