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Billing code 29867: Knee allograftMedicare rate & RVUs

Arthroscopic placement of donor osteochondral tissue treats a focal knee cartilage-and-bone defect when restoration with an allograft is performed.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities15 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,178.72 for 29867 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 29867

Knee allograft

Work RVUs
17.93
Total RVUs
35.29
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,178.72

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 29867 →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 29867 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 29867 covers

An orthopedic surgeon uses knee arthroscopy to prepare a focal defect in the joint surface and place donor osteochondral tissue, restoring both cartilage and supporting bone. This approach may be selected for a contained cartilage-and-bone lesion when an allograft is used instead of tissue harvested from the patient. The procedure is generally performed in a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center; 2024 Medicare claims show facility reporting for this code.

Report 29867 for arthroscopic implantation of osteochondral allograft, not meniscal transplantation or use of the patient’s own osteochondral tissue. The operative report should identify the treated defect, arthroscopic approach, implantation, and graft source. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of 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 29867 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

29867 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,066.71
Alaska*Unavailable$1,450.09
ArizonaUnavailable$1,146.29
ArkansasUnavailable$1,052.95
AtlantaUnavailable$1,213.46
AustinUnavailable$1,191.54
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,183.46
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,251.61
BeaumontUnavailable$1,128.96
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,151.30

29867 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
29867 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 29867 rate is calculated

Each of 29867’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 · 29867

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Work17.93

17.93 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense13.53

13.53 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice3.83

3.83 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

35.2900

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$1,178.72

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 29867

29867 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 29867

Knee allograft

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
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 · 29867

Knee allograft

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

29867 without 50 · national facility

$1,178.72

Knee allograft

29867-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$1,768.08

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

29867 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

  • 29867

    Knee allograft17.93 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29866

    Cartilage restoration14.3 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 27415

    Knee allograft19.5 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29868

    Meniscal transplant24.47 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29877

    Knee chondroplasty8.09 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

29866Cartilage restoration
Choose 29867 for donor osteochondral tissue; 29866 is for osteochondral tissue harvested from the patient.
27415Knee allograft
Both address knee osteochondral defects with an allograft, but 27415 is the open procedure; 29867 is arthroscopic.
29868Meniscal transplant
29868 is for meniscal allograft transplantation. 29867 addresses an osteochondral defect, not replacement of meniscal tissue.
29877Knee chondroplasty
29877 reports arthroscopic chondroplasty; 29867 is used when osteochondral allograft tissue is implanted.

Codes related to 29867

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

Codes related to 29867
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
29866Cartilage restorationArthroscopic osteochondral implantation using the patient’s own graft rather than donor tissue.No office rate
Used instead
27415Knee allograftOpen approach for osteochondral allograft treatment of a knee defect.No office rate
29877Knee chondroplastyArthroscopic chondroplasty treats articular cartilage without osteochondral graft implantation.No office rate
29879Arthroscopic cartilage procedureArthroscopic abrasion arthroplasty is a different treatment approach for selected cartilage lesions.No office rate

29867 billing questions

How does 29867 differ from 29866?

29867 is for an osteochondral allograft from a donor. Use 29866 when the osteochondral tissue is harvested from the patient.

Is this code for a meniscal allograft transplant?

No. This code concerns osteochondral tissue used to address a cartilage-and-bone defect. Meniscal transplantation is a different procedure, reported with 29868.

What should the operative report support?

Document the knee defect and its location, the arthroscopic approach, implantation of osteochondral tissue, and whether the graft is donor tissue.

What care falls within the global period?

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

How are bilateral cases and other same-session procedures paid?

Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued is paid in full and the others at 50%.

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 29867PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,351 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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