FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

Billing code 29819: Shoulder arthroscopyMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports arthroscopic removal of a loose fragment or foreign material from the shoulder joint, rather than diagnostic inspection or debridement alone.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities784 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $550.11 for 29819 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 29819

Shoulder arthroscopy

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
7.6
Total RVUs
16.47
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$550.11

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 29819 → · 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.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 29819 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 29819 covers

An orthopedic surgeon uses an arthroscope and instruments through small portals to find and remove a loose fragment or foreign material from inside the shoulder joint. A loose osteochondral fragment after injury is a typical reason for the procedure. It is generally performed in a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center; the operative report should identify the material or fragment and document its removal.

Select this service when arthroscopic removal is performed, not for inspection alone or debridement without removal. The record should support the intra-articular finding and the work performed. CMS 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 bilateral surgery, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery; 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 29819 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

29819 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$497.60
Alaska*Unavailable$670.54
ArizonaUnavailable$535.27
ArkansasUnavailable$491.10
AtlantaUnavailable$564.88
AustinUnavailable$559.19
BakersfieldUnavailable$558.98
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$584.02
BeaumontUnavailable$524.40
BrazoriaUnavailable$538.91

29819 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

Explore a state

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
29819 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 29819 rate is calculated

Each of 29819’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 · 29819

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 7.60Practice expense 7.37Malpractice 1.50

16.4700 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$550.11

All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 29819

29819 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 29819

Shoulder arthroscopy

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)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
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 · 29819

Shoulder arthroscopy

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.

  • 24 Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79 Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58 Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78 Unplanned 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

29819 without 50 · national facility

$550.11

Shoulder arthroscopy

29819-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$825.17

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

29819 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

29819 vs 29805 vs 29822 vs 29823 vs 29827: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 29819
    Shoulder arthroscopy · 7.6 wRVU
    —
  • 29805
    Shoulder arthroscopy · 5.88 wRVU
    —
  • 29822
    Shoulder debridement · 6.85 wRVU
    —
  • 29823
    Arthroscopic debridement · 7.78 wRVU
    —
  • 29827
    Rotator cuff repair · 15.2 wRVU
    —

How to choose

29805Shoulder arthroscopy
Use 29805 for diagnostic shoulder arthroscopy when no separately described operative removal is performed; 29819 requires removal of a loose or foreign body.
29822Shoulder debridement
29822 describes limited debridement of shoulder tissue. It is not a substitute for documenting and reporting removal of a loose fragment.
29823Arthroscopic debridement
29823 describes extensive debridement, while 29819 concerns removal of a loose or foreign body. Choose based on the work actually documented.
29827Rotator cuff repair
29827 is arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. A cuff repair does not by itself support 29819; the record must also document loose-body or foreign-material removal.

Codes related to 29819

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

Codes related to 29819
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
29805Shoulder arthroscopyDiagnostic shoulder arthroscopy when the work is inspection rather than removal.No office rate
29822Shoulder debridementLimited shoulder debridement addresses tissue cleanup rather than loose-body extraction.No office rate
29823Arthroscopic debridementExtensive shoulder debridement is selected for qualifying debridement work, not fragment removal alone.No office rate
Often billed with
29827Rotator cuff repairRotator cuff repair may be performed during the same shoulder arthroscopy when separately indicated.No office rate
29806Shoulder stabilizationCapsulorrhaphy may accompany removal when distinct instability repair is performed.No office rate

29819 billing questions

How does this differ from diagnostic shoulder arthroscopy?

Report 29819 when the surgeon actually removes a loose body or foreign material. Diagnostic arthroscopy, without that removal, is a different service.

Is debridement the same as loose-body removal?

No. Debridement treats specified tissue by removing or smoothing it; 29819 describes removal of a loose fragment or foreign material. Document each distinct procedure performed.

How is bilateral surgery reported?

CMS identifies this as a bilateral procedure; modifier 50 is paid at 150%.

What postoperative care is included?

The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

Can an assistant surgeon be paid?

CMS lists a statutory restriction on assistant-at-surgery payment for this code. Co-surgeons are paid only with supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.

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 29819PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,319 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 29819 pays?

Tell us what you were actually trying to work out. We’ll answer you directly, or build the page that does.

Fee sheets

Put 29819 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.

Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →