CPT code 29880: Knee meniscectomy, medial and lateral menisci2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Missouri
Reports arthroscopic removal of damaged tissue from both the medial and lateral menisci in one knee, with cartilage smoothing included when performed.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 29880 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 29880 covers
An orthopedic surgeon uses a knee arthroscope and instruments through small incisions to remove damaged portions of both menisci in the same knee. This is commonly performed for meniscal tears that are treated by resection rather than repair. If the surgeon also smooths damaged articular cartilage during the procedure, that work is included. A repair of one or both menisci is a different service.
Report this code once for the knee when operative documentation supports work on both the medial and lateral menisci; identify the treated side and describe the findings and tissue removed. A 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 knee procedures, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires medical-necessity documentation, and co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is 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 29880 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 | $517.12 |
| Metropolitan St. Louis, MO | Unavailable | $521.50 |
| Rest of Missouri | Unavailable | $498.25 |
How the 29880 rate is calculated
Each of 29880’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 · 29880
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work7.21
7.21 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense7.28
7.28 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.47
1.47 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
15.9600
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$533.08
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 29880
29880 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 29880
Knee meniscectomy, medial and lateral menisci
| 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) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| 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 · 29880
Knee meniscectomy, medial and lateral menisci
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
29880 without 50 · national facility
$533.08
Knee meniscectomy, medial and lateral menisci
29880-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$799.62
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).
29880 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 29881Knee meniscectomyMedial or lateral meniscus
- Choose 29880 when meniscectomy is performed on both menisci in one knee; 29881 is for one meniscus.
- 29882Meniscus repairMedial or lateral
- 29882 reports arthroscopic repair of one meniscus. This code reports meniscectomy of both menisci, not repair.
- 29883Meniscus repairMedial and lateral
- 29883 reports arthroscopic repair of both menisci. Use this code when both menisci are treated by resection instead.
- 29877Knee chondroplastyArthroscopic cartilage smoothing
- 29877 describes arthroscopic cartilage debridement. Cartilage smoothing performed during this meniscectomy is included, not separately reported as 29877.
29880 billing questions
When should this code be selected instead of 29881?
Use this code when the surgeon performs meniscectomy on both the medial and lateral menisci in the same knee. Code 29881 describes work on one meniscus.
Can cartilage smoothing be reported separately?
No. Cartilage debridement or smoothing performed during this meniscectomy is included in the service.
How is work on both knees reported?
For bilateral procedures, report modifier 50; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
Document the knee side, the medial and lateral meniscal findings, and the resection performed on each meniscus. The operative report should distinguish resection from meniscal repair.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid?
Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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.
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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