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Billing code 29877: Knee chondroplastyMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports arthroscopic smoothing of unstable knee articular cartilage, typically to remove damaged flaps and leave a stable cartilage surface.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities2.3K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $586.85 for 29877 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 29877

Knee chondroplasty

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
8.09
Total RVUs
17.57
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$586.85

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 29877 → · 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 29877 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 29877 covers

A surgeon uses a knee arthroscope and instruments to trim or smooth unstable, damaged articular cartilage. The goal is to leave a stable cartilage edge, not to repair a meniscus or stimulate new cartilage growth. This procedure may address focal chondral damage or frayed cartilage encountered during knee arthroscopy, and is performed in an operating room or ambulatory surgery setting.

Report 29877 when the documented work is cartilage debridement or shaving, rather than a more specific procedure such as abrasion arthroplasty. The operative report should identify the treated cartilage and the work performed. Medicare applies endoscopy-family pricing when related endoscopies are performed together. The code has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. Bilateral reporting with 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 29877 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

29877 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$530.14
Alaska*Unavailable$714.04
ArizonaUnavailable$570.77
ArkansasUnavailable$523.13
AtlantaUnavailable$602.99
AustinUnavailable$596.22
BakersfieldUnavailable$595.38
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$623.39
BeaumontUnavailable$559.41
BrazoriaUnavailable$574.47

29877 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

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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
29877 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 29877 rate is calculated

Each of 29877’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 · 29877

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 8.09Practice expense 7.82Malpractice 1.66

17.5700 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$586.85

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 29877

29877 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 29877

Knee chondroplasty

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 · 29877

Knee chondroplasty

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

29877 without 50 · national facility

$586.85

Knee chondroplasty

29877-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$880.28

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

29877 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

29877 vs G0289 vs 29879 vs 29880 vs 29881: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 29877
    Knee chondroplasty · 8.09 wRVU
    —
  • G0289
    Knee arthroscopy · 1.44 wRVU
    —
  • 29879
    Arthroscopic cartilage procedure · 8.77 wRVU
    —
  • 29880
    Knee meniscectomy · 7.21 wRVU
    —
  • 29881
    Knee meniscectomy · 6.85 wRVU
    —

How to choose

G0289Knee arthroscopy
For Medicare, use G0289 for qualifying cartilage debridement in a different compartment at the time of another surgical knee arthroscopy; 29877 describes chondroplasty reported on its own when appropriate.
29879Arthroscopic cartilage procedure
29877 smooths or trims damaged cartilage. 29879 describes abrasion arthroplasty, which works into the underlying bone.
29880Knee meniscectomy
29880 reports medial and lateral meniscectomy, not cartilage smoothing. Chondroplasty in the same compartment is generally included in the meniscectomy service.
29881Knee meniscectomy
29881 reports meniscectomy in one meniscus. It is not a substitute for cartilage debridement; Medicare uses compartment-specific rules when both are performed.

Codes related to 29877

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

Codes related to 29877
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
G0289Knee arthroscopyMedicare uses this for qualifying chondroplasty in a different compartment during another surgical knee arthroscopy.No office rate
29879Arthroscopic cartilage procedureReports arthroscopic abrasion arthroplasty, a different cartilage and bone treatment technique.No office rate
Often billed with
29880Knee meniscectomyMedial and lateral meniscectomy may accompany treatment in another compartment; compartment-specific reporting rules apply.No office rate
29881Knee meniscectomyMeniscectomy may accompany treatment in another compartment; Medicare directs qualifying separate-compartment chondroplasty to G0289.No office rate

29877 billing questions

How is 29877 different from abrasion arthroplasty?

29877 describes trimming or smoothing damaged articular cartilage. Abrasion arthroplasty, reported with 29879, involves a different technique that works into underlying bone.

Can 29877 be reported with a knee meniscectomy?

Chondroplasty performed in the same compartment as a meniscectomy is generally included in the meniscectomy service. For qualifying chondroplasty in a different compartment during another knee arthroscopy, Medicare uses G0289 rather than separately reporting 29877.

What documentation supports 29877?

The operative report should identify the cartilage damage, the knee compartment treated, and the arthroscopic trimming or smoothing performed. A finding of cartilage wear alone does not establish that debridement was performed.

How should bilateral 29877 be reported?

Report modifier 50 for a bilateral procedure. CMS pays bilateral procedures reported with modifier 50 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.

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 29877PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,359 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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