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CPT code 29882: Meniscus repair, medial or lateral2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Report this code when a surgeon repairs one medial or lateral knee meniscus arthroscopically, preserving a tear that is suitable for repair.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities2.7K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $641.97 for 29882 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 29882

Meniscus repair, medial or lateral

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
9.36
Total RVUs
19.22
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$641.97

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 29882 →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 29882 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 29882 covers

An orthopedic surgeon uses a knee arthroscope and instruments passed through small incisions to repair a tear in either the medial or lateral meniscus. The procedure is commonly performed in a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center for a tear the surgeon considers suitable for repair rather than removal. The repair may use sutures or fixation devices to stabilize the meniscal tissue.

Choose this code when the operative report supports repair of one meniscus; it does not describe repair of both menisci. Document the side, compartment, tear, and repair performed so the service can be distinguished from meniscectomy. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When related endoscopies are performed together, endoscopy-family pricing applies. For a bilateral procedure, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Medicare 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 29882 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

29882 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$581.60
AlaskaUnavailable$787.76
ArizonaUnavailable$624.74
ArkansasUnavailable$574.16
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$659.67
Austin, TXUnavailable$651.01
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$649.27
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$681.20
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$613.51
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$628.39

29882 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
29882 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 29882 rate is calculated

Each of 29882’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 · 29882

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work9.36

9.36 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense8.00

8.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice1.86

1.86 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

19.2200

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$641.97

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 29882

29882 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 29882

Meniscus repair, medial or lateral

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 · 29882

Meniscus repair, medial or lateral

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

29882 without 50 · national facility

$641.97

Meniscus repair, medial or lateral

29882-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$962.96

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

29882 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 29882

    Meniscus repair, medial or lateral9.36 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29883

    Meniscus repair, medial and lateral11.48 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29881

    Knee meniscectomy, medial or lateral meniscus6.85 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29880

    Knee meniscectomy, medial and lateral menisci7.21 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 27403

    Meniscus repair, open arthrotomy8.4 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

29883Meniscus repairMedial and lateral
29882 covers repair of one meniscus, medial or lateral; 29883 is used when both menisci are repaired.
29881Knee meniscectomyMedial or lateral meniscus
29881 describes arthroscopic meniscal tissue removal in one compartment. Use 29882 when the meniscus is repaired instead.
29880Knee meniscectomyMedial and lateral menisci
29880 describes arthroscopic meniscal tissue removal in both compartments, rather than repair of one meniscus.
27403Meniscus repairOpen arthrotomy
27403 describes open meniscus repair. 29882 is for repair performed arthroscopically.

Codes related to 29882

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

Codes related to 29882
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
29883Meniscus repair, medial and lateralArthroscopic repair of both the medial and lateral menisci.No office rate
Used instead
29881Knee meniscectomy, medial or lateral meniscusArthroscopic removal of meniscal tissue from one compartment rather than repair.No office rate
29880Knee meniscectomy, medial and lateral menisciArthroscopic removal of meniscal tissue from both compartments rather than repair.No office rate
27403Meniscus repair, open arthrotomyOpen meniscus repair, rather than repair performed arthroscopically.No office rate

29882 billing questions

When should I use 29882 instead of 29883?

Use 29882 for repair of either the medial or lateral meniscus. Use 29883 when the surgeon repairs both menisci.

How does 29882 differ from meniscectomy codes?

29882 represents repair that preserves the meniscal tissue. Codes 29880 and 29881 describe removal of meniscal tissue, not repair.

What documentation supports 29882?

The operative report should identify the repaired meniscus and compartment, describe the tear, and document the repair performed.

How is bilateral 29882 reported?

For a bilateral procedure, report modifier 50; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid for this procedure?

Medicare 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.

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 29882PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,363 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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