CPT code 29838: Elbow debridement, extensive arthroscopic treatment2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Montana

In Montana, Medicare pays $558.36 for 29838 in a facility. There’s no office rate.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 29838 nationwide

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

What 29838 covers

An orthopedic surgeon uses an arthroscope and instruments passed through small incisions to remove substantial damaged or diseased tissue from inside the elbow joint. The procedure may address extensive cartilage or other tissue changes associated with elbow arthritis or injury. It is performed in an operating room, commonly in a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center, when the surgeon determines that arthroscopic treatment is appropriate.

Choose this code when the operative report supports extensive debridement rather than the limited work represented by 29837. Document the treated structures, location, and extent of tissue removal; the term “extensive” alone does not establish the service. 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 is paid only with medical-necessity documentation; 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.

How Montana compares for 29838

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the facility rate for 29838 runs from $498.19 in Arkansas to $679.91 in Alaska. Montana pays $558.36. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

29838 rates by state

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

See 29838 in every payment locality

How the 29838 rate is calculated

Each of 29838’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 29838

29838 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

Codes related to 29838

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

How 29838 has changed in Montana

Price 29838 for an earlier date of service

Where the Montana rate applies

Montana is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 497 cities and communities in Montana. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Absarokee
• Acton
• Alberton
• Alder
• Alzada
• Amsterdam
• Anaconda-Deer Lodge County
• Antelope

Browse all communities in Montana

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