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Billing code 29874: Knee arthroscopyMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports surgical knee arthroscopy to remove a loose or foreign body, such as a displaced osteochondritis dissecans fragment, from the joint.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities458 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $506.02 for 29874 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 29874

Knee arthroscopy

Work RVUs
7.01
Total RVUs
15.15
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$506.02

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 29874 →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 29874 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 29874 covers

An orthopedic surgeon uses a knee arthroscope and instruments through small incisions to locate and remove a loose body or foreign material from the joint. A displaced osteochondritis dissecans fragment is a typical example. The service is generally performed in an operating room or ambulatory surgery setting when imaging, examination, or operative findings support removal of material within the knee.

The operative report should identify the knee, the material removed, its location, and the arthroscopic work performed. This major surgery has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. If related endoscopies are performed together, CMS applies endoscopy-family pricing. For bilateral surgery, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented 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 29874 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

29874 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$457.38
Alaska*Unavailable$616.39
ArizonaUnavailable$492.24
ArkansasUnavailable$451.37
AtlantaUnavailable$519.85
AustinUnavailable$514.10
BakersfieldUnavailable$513.48
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$537.40
BeaumontUnavailable$482.46
BrazoriaUnavailable$495.44

29874 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
29874 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 29874 rate is calculated

Each of 29874’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 · 29874

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Work7.01

7.01 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense6.72

6.72 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice1.42

1.42 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

15.1500

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$506.02

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 29874

29874 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 29874

Knee 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)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 · 29874

Knee 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.

  • 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

29874 without 50 · national facility

$506.02

Knee arthroscopy

29874-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$759.03

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

29874 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

  • 29874

    Knee arthroscopy7.01 wRVU

    Not priced

  • G0289

    Knee arthroscopy1.44 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29877

    Knee chondroplasty8.09 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29870

    Knee arthroscopy5.06 wRVU

    $602.89

  • 29881

    Knee meniscectomy6.85 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

G0289Knee arthroscopy
G0289 addresses loose-body or foreign-body removal during another surgical knee arthroscopy in a different compartment. This code describes the removal service outside that circumstance.
29877Knee chondroplasty
Choose 29877 for arthroscopic cartilage debridement or shaving. Choose this code when the operative service removes a loose or foreign body.
29870Knee arthroscopy
29870 is diagnostic knee arthroscopy. This code requires operative removal of a loose or foreign body.
29881Knee meniscectomy
29881 describes arthroscopic meniscectomy involving one meniscus. This code describes removal of a loose or foreign body, not meniscal resection.

Codes related to 29874

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

Codes related to 29874
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
G0289Knee arthroscopyConsider for loose-body removal during another surgical knee arthroscopy in a different compartment.No office rate
29877Knee chondroplastyDescribes arthroscopic cartilage debridement or shaving rather than removal of a loose body.No office rate
29870Knee arthroscopyDescribes diagnostic knee arthroscopy when the service is examination rather than loose-body removal.$529.87–$782.08

29874 billing questions

When is this code a better fit than a diagnostic knee arthroscopy?

Use this code when the surgeon performs arthroscopic removal of a loose or foreign body. A diagnostic arthroscopy describes examination when no such removal is performed.

How does this differ from arthroscopic chondroplasty?

This code describes removal of a loose or foreign body. Chondroplasty addresses damaged articular cartilage by debridement or shaving rather than removal of a discrete body.

Can this be reported when another knee arthroscopy is performed in the same session?

Related endoscopies performed together are subject to CMS endoscopy-family pricing. When loose-body removal is performed during another surgical knee arthroscopy in a different compartment, review G0289 rather than assuming this code is separately reportable.

What documentation supports the service?

Document the operative finding, the knee and compartment involved, the loose or foreign material removed, and the arthroscopic removal performed.

How is bilateral removal reported under the CMS facts?

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

What should the billing team know about the global period and surgical assistance?

The code has a 90-day major-surgery global period. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are 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 29874PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,356 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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