CPT code 29874: Knee arthroscopy, loose or foreign body2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Missouri
Reports surgical knee arthroscopy to remove a loose or foreign body, such as a displaced osteochondritis dissecans fragment, from the joint.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 29874 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.
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What 29874 covers
An orthopedic surgeon uses a knee arthroscope and instruments through small incisions to locate and remove a loose body or foreign material from the joint. A displaced osteochondritis dissecans fragment is a typical example. The service is generally performed in an operating room or ambulatory surgery setting when imaging, examination, or operative findings support removal of material within the knee.
The operative report should identify the knee, the material removed, its location, and the arthroscopic work performed. This major surgery has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. If related endoscopies are performed together, CMS applies endoscopy-family pricing. For bilateral surgery, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; 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 29874 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 | $491.24 |
| Metropolitan St. Louis, MO | Unavailable | $495.34 |
| Rest of Missouri | Unavailable | $473.82 |
How the 29874 rate is calculated
Each of 29874’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 · 29874
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work7.01
7.01 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense6.72
6.72 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.42
1.42 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
15.1500
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$506.02
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 29874
29874 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 29874
Knee arthroscopy, loose or foreign body
| 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) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| 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 · 29874
Knee arthroscopy, loose or foreign body
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
29874 without 50 · national facility
$506.02
Knee arthroscopy, loose or foreign body
29874-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$759.03
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).
29874 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- G0289Knee arthroscopySeparate-compartment loose body
- G0289 addresses loose-body or foreign-body removal during another surgical knee arthroscopy in a different compartment. This code describes the removal service outside that circumstance.
- 29877Knee chondroplastyArthroscopic cartilage smoothing
- Choose 29877 for arthroscopic cartilage debridement or shaving. Choose this code when the operative service removes a loose or foreign body.
- 29870Knee arthroscopyDiagnostic, with or without biopsy
- 29870 is diagnostic knee arthroscopy. This code requires operative removal of a loose or foreign body.
- 29881Knee meniscectomyMedial or lateral meniscus
- 29881 describes arthroscopic meniscectomy involving one meniscus. This code describes removal of a loose or foreign body, not meniscal resection.
29874 billing questions
When is this code a better fit than a diagnostic knee arthroscopy?
Use this code when the surgeon performs arthroscopic removal of a loose or foreign body. A diagnostic arthroscopy describes examination when no such removal is performed.
How does this differ from arthroscopic chondroplasty?
This code describes removal of a loose or foreign body. Chondroplasty addresses damaged articular cartilage by debridement or shaving rather than removal of a discrete body.
Can this be reported when another knee arthroscopy is performed in the same session?
Related endoscopies performed together are subject to CMS endoscopy-family pricing. When loose-body removal is performed during another surgical knee arthroscopy in a different compartment, review G0289 rather than assuming this code is separately reportable.
What documentation supports the service?
Document the operative finding, the knee and compartment involved, the loose or foreign material removed, and the arthroscopic removal performed.
How is bilateral removal reported?
For bilateral surgery, report modifier 50; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
What should the billing team know about the global period and surgical assistance?
The code has a 90-day major-surgery global period. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are 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
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