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CPT code 29879: Arthroscopic cartilage procedure, abrasion or microfracture2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Report 29879 for knee arthroscopy that treats a focal articular cartilage defect by abrading or perforating underlying bone to stimulate repair.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities6.1K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $623.26 for 29879 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 29879

Arthroscopic cartilage procedure, abrasion or microfracture

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
8.77
Total RVUs
18.66
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$623.26

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 29879 →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 29879 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 29879 covers

During knee arthroscopy, the surgeon treats a focal articular cartilage defect by removing unstable cartilage and preparing the underlying subchondral bone with abrasion, drilling, or microfracture to encourage marrow-based repair. Orthopedic surgeons commonly perform this in an operating room or ambulatory surgery center for symptomatic cartilage damage. The operative note should identify the treated lesion and describe the marrow-stimulation technique.

Report this code for cartilage-restoration work, not routine cartilage smoothing alone; smoothing or debridement at the treated site is included. The operative report should distinguish this work from drilling for an osteochondritis dissecans lesion and document laterality, lesion location, and technique. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care through day 90. When related knee endoscopies are performed together, CMS endoscopy-family pricing applies. Modifier 50 identifies bilateral performance and CMS pays 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 29879 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

29879 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$563.18
AlaskaUnavailable$759.95
ArizonaUnavailable$606.15
ArkansasUnavailable$555.77
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$640.67
Austin, TXUnavailable$632.55
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$630.93
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$662.03
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$594.69
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$609.80

29879 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
29879 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 29879 rate is calculated

Each of 29879’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 · 29879

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work8.77

8.77 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense8.07

8.07 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice1.82

1.82 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

18.6600

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$623.26

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 29879

29879 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 29879

Arthroscopic cartilage procedure, abrasion or microfracture

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)0Not paid without supporting documentation.
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 · 29879

Arthroscopic cartilage procedure, abrasion or microfracture

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

29879 without 50 · national facility

$623.26

Arthroscopic cartilage procedure, abrasion or microfracture

29879-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$934.89

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

29879 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 29879

    Arthroscopic cartilage procedure, abrasion or microfracture8.77 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29877

    Knee chondroplasty, arthroscopic cartilage smoothing8.09 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29885

    Knee arthroscopy, intact OCD lesion drilling9.95 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29870

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

    $602.89

How to choose

29877Knee chondroplastyArthroscopic cartilage smoothing
Choose 29879 when the surgeon abrades or perforates subchondral bone to stimulate repair. Choose 29877 for debridement or shaving without that work; chondroplasty at the 29879 treatment site is included.
29885Knee arthroscopyIntact OCD lesion drilling
29885 addresses arthroscopic drilling for an osteochondritis dissecans lesion. Code 29879 is for abrasion or marrow stimulation of a cartilage defect.
29870Knee arthroscopyDiagnostic, with or without biopsy
29870 is for diagnostic knee arthroscopy without the surgical cartilage-restoration work reported with 29879.

Codes related to 29879

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

Codes related to 29879
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
29877Knee chondroplasty, arthroscopic cartilage smoothingUsed for arthroscopic cartilage debridement or shaving without the marrow-stimulation work of 29879.No office rate
29885Knee arthroscopy, intact OCD lesion drillingFor arthroscopic drilling directed at an osteochondritis dissecans lesion rather than a focal cartilage defect.No office rate
29870Knee arthroscopy, diagnostic, with or without biopsyDiagnostic knee arthroscopy when no surgical cartilage-restoration work is performed.$529.87–$782.08
Often billed with
29880Knee meniscectomy, medial and lateral menisciMay be reported for separately treated medial and lateral meniscal pathology in the same encounter.No office rate
29881Knee meniscectomy, medial or lateral meniscusMay be reported for separately treated meniscal pathology in the same encounter.No office rate

29879 billing questions

How does 29879 differ from 29877?

29879 involves preparing subchondral bone with abrasion, drilling, or microfracture to stimulate repair. Use 29877 for arthroscopic debridement or shaving without that marrow-stimulation work.

Can 29877 be reported for chondroplasty performed at the same lesion?

No. Chondroplasty or smoothing at the site treated with 29879 is included in the cartilage-restoration service.

What documentation supports 29879?

Document the treated cartilage defect, its knee location and laterality, and the abrasion, drilling, or microfracture technique performed.

How is bilateral performance reported?

Report modifier 50 for bilateral performance; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.

How does payment work when other knee arthroscopies are performed in the same session?

CMS applies endoscopy-family pricing when related endoscopies are performed together. The operative report should support each distinct procedure performed.

Can an assistant or another surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity. CMS does not permit co-surgeons or team surgery for this code.

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 29879PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,360 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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