CPT code 29877: Knee chondroplasty, arthroscopic cartilage smoothing2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California

CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 29877 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.

What 29877 covers

A surgeon uses a knee arthroscope and instruments to trim or smooth unstable, damaged articular cartilage. The goal is to leave a stable cartilage edge, not to repair a meniscus or stimulate new cartilage growth. This procedure may address focal chondral damage or frayed cartilage encountered during knee arthroscopy, and is performed in an operating room or ambulatory surgery setting.

Report 29877 when the documented work is cartilage debridement or shaving, rather than a more specific procedure such as abrasion arthroplasty. The operative report should identify the treated cartilage and the work performed. Medicare applies endoscopy-family pricing when related endoscopies are performed together. The code has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. Bilateral reporting with 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 29877 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

How the 29877 rate is calculated

Each of 29877’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 29877

29877 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

29877 compared with similar codes

How to choose

G0289Knee arthroscopySeparate-compartment loose body

For Medicare, use G0289 for qualifying cartilage debridement in a different compartment at the time of another surgical knee arthroscopy; 29877 describes chondroplasty reported on its own when appropriate.

29879Arthroscopic cartilage procedureAbrasion or microfracture

29877 smooths or trims damaged cartilage. 29879 describes abrasion arthroplasty, which works into the underlying bone.

29880Knee meniscectomyMedial and lateral menisci

29880 reports medial and lateral meniscectomy, not cartilage smoothing. Chondroplasty in the same compartment is generally included in the meniscectomy service.

29881Knee meniscectomyMedial or lateral meniscus

29881 reports meniscectomy in one meniscus. It is not a substitute for cartilage debridement; Medicare uses compartment-specific rules when both are performed.

Codes related to 29877

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

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