CPT code 29895: Ankle arthroscopy, partial synovectomy2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $433.54 for 29895 nationally in a facility.

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What 29895 covers

An orthopedic foot-and-ankle surgeon uses an arthroscope and instruments through small portals to remove a limited amount of inflamed or thickened synovial tissue from the ankle joint. This may be performed for symptomatic synovitis in a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center. The operative report should identify the treated ankle and describe the synovial tissue removed and the extent of the resection.

Select this service when partial synovial removal is the operative work, rather than loose-body extraction or joint debridement. Document the clinical indication and distinguish synovectomy from incidental synovial cleanup during another procedure. The code has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeons require supporting documentation, and 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 29895 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

29895 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

How the 29895 rate is calculated

Each of 29895’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 29895

29895 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

29895 compared with similar codes

How to choose

29897Ankle arthroscopyLimited debridement

29897 describes limited ankle-joint debridement. This code is for partial removal of diseased synovium, not general joint cleanup.

29898Ankle arthroscopyExtensive debridement

29898 is for extensive ankle debridement. Use this code when the documented primary work is partial synovectomy rather than extensive debridement.

29894Ankle arthroscopyLoose or foreign body removal

29894 is for arthroscopic removal of a loose body or foreign body. It does not describe excision of inflamed synovium.

Codes related to 29895

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