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CPT code 29871: Knee arthroscopy, infection lavage and drainage2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports arthroscopic surgical lavage and drainage of an infected knee joint, typically performed to treat septic arthritis rather than for diagnostic inspection alone.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities1.2K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $491.33 for 29871 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 29871

Knee arthroscopy, infection lavage and drainage

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
6.52
Total RVUs
14.71
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$491.33

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 29871 →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 29871 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 29871 covers

An orthopedic surgeon uses an arthroscope and instruments to access an infected knee joint, wash out the joint, and drain infectious material. This service is commonly performed in a hospital or ambulatory surgery facility for septic arthritis. The operative record should identify the infection and describe the arthroscopic lavage and drainage performed; a diagnostic look alone does not describe this treatment.

Select this code when arthroscopy is the method used to surgically treat the knee infection, rather than when the primary service is synovectomy or another distinct knee procedure. The 90-day global period includes 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%. CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery; 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 29871 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

29871 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$443.20
AlaskaUnavailable$594.82
ArizonaUnavailable$477.75
ArkansasUnavailable$437.24
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$504.70
Austin, TXUnavailable$499.87
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$499.77
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$522.18
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$467.56
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$481.09

29871 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
29871 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 29871 rate is calculated

Each of 29871’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 · 29871

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work6.52

6.52 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense6.84

6.84 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice1.35

1.35 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

14.7100

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$491.33

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 29871

29871 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 29871

Knee arthroscopy, infection lavage and drainage

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)1Not paid (statutory restriction).
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
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 · 29871

Knee arthroscopy, infection lavage and drainage

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

29871 without 50 · national facility

$491.33

Knee arthroscopy, infection lavage and drainage

29871-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$737.00

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

29871 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 29871

    Knee arthroscopy, infection lavage and drainage6.52 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29870

    Knee arthroscopy, diagnostic, with or without biopsy5.06 wRVU

    $602.89

  • 29875

    Knee synovectomy, limited arthroscopic excision6.29 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29876

    Knee synovectomy, two or more compartments8.65 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 27310

    Knee arthrotomy, exploration, drainage, or foreign body9.75 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

29870Knee arthroscopyDiagnostic, with or without biopsy
29870 is for diagnostic knee arthroscopy, with or without synovial biopsy. Choose 29871 when the surgeon therapeutically lavages and drains an infected knee.
29875Knee synovectomyLimited arthroscopic excision
29875 describes limited knee synovectomy. It is not the code for arthroscopic infection lavage and drainage.
29876Knee synovectomyTwo or more compartments
29876 describes major knee synovectomy. Distinguish extensive synovial removal from lavage and drainage performed to treat infection.
27310Knee arthrotomyExploration, drainage, or foreign body
27310 represents an open knee-joint approach for drainage or related work. Use 29871 when the infection is treated arthroscopically.

Codes related to 29871

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

Codes related to 29871
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
27310Knee arthrotomy, exploration, drainage, or foreign bodyOpen knee-joint drainage may be used instead of arthroscopic treatment for an infection.No office rate
29870Knee arthroscopy, diagnostic, with or without biopsyDiagnostic knee arthroscopy is the relevant choice when inspection is performed without therapeutic infection lavage and drainage.$529.87–$782.08
29875Knee synovectomy, limited arthroscopic excisionLimited synovectomy describes a synovial procedure, not arthroscopic lavage and drainage for infection.No office rate
29876Knee synovectomy, two or more compartmentsMajor synovectomy describes extensive synovial removal rather than infection lavage and drainage.No office rate

29871 billing questions

When should this be reported instead of diagnostic knee arthroscopy?

Report this code when the surgeon performs arthroscopic lavage and drainage to treat a knee infection. Diagnostic inspection without that therapeutic work is a different service.

Is synovectomy included in this code?

This code identifies arthroscopic treatment of infection by lavage and drainage, not synovectomy based on the extent of synovial removal. Document any distinct procedure performed and evaluate it under its own coding rules.

How is bilateral knee treatment handled?

CMS identifies this as a bilateral procedure; modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Document the work on both knees.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

What postoperative care is included?

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

What happens when related endoscopies are performed together?

CMS applies endoscopy family pricing when related endoscopies are performed together. The operative documentation should support each procedure reported.

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 29871PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,354 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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