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Billing code 29883: Meniscus repairMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports knee arthroscopy with repair of both medial and lateral menisci, typically when tears in both compartments are treated during one operation.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities182 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $785.92 for 29883 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 29883

Meniscus repair

Work RVUs
11.48
Total RVUs
23.53
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$785.92

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 29883 →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 29883 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 29883 covers

During knee arthroscopy, the orthopedic surgeon uses a camera and instruments inserted through small incisions to repair torn meniscal tissue on both the medial and lateral sides of the knee. Repair may use sutures or fixation devices to stabilize the tissue. This procedure is typically performed in a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center for a patient with repairable tears in both menisci.

Report this code when the operative documentation supports repair of both menisci, not removal of torn tissue or repair of only one meniscus. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For bilateral procedures reported with modifier 50, CMS payment is 150%. When related endoscopies are performed together, endoscopy-family pricing applies. 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 29883 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

29883 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$710.74
Alaska*Unavailable$962.43
ArizonaUnavailable$764.35
ArkansasUnavailable$701.48
AtlantaUnavailable$808.40
AustinUnavailable$796.19
BakersfieldUnavailable$792.65
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$834.64
BeaumontUnavailable$751.23
BrazoriaUnavailable$768.38

29883 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
29883 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 29883 rate is calculated

Each of 29883’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 · 29883

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Work11.48

11.48 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense9.64

9.64 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice2.41

2.41 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

23.5300

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$785.92

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 29883

29883 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 29883

Meniscus repair

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 · 29883

Meniscus repair

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

29883 without 50 · national facility

$785.92

Meniscus repair

29883-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$1,178.88

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

29883 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

  • 29883

    Meniscus repair11.48 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29882

    Meniscus repair9.36 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29880

    Knee meniscectomy7.21 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29881

    Knee meniscectomy6.85 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 29868

    Meniscal transplant24.47 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

29882Meniscus repair
Use 29883 when both the medial and lateral menisci are repaired. Use 29882 when the arthroscopic repair involves only one meniscus.
29880Knee meniscectomy
29880 describes arthroscopic removal of meniscal tissue from both compartments. Choose 29883 when both menisci are repaired rather than resected.
29881Knee meniscectomy
29881 describes arthroscopic removal of meniscal tissue from one compartment. It does not represent repair of both menisci.
29868Meniscal transplant
29868 is for arthroscopic meniscal transplantation. This code is for repairing existing medial and lateral meniscal tissue.

Codes related to 29883

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

Codes related to 29883
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
29882Meniscus repairArthroscopic repair of one meniscus rather than both medial and lateral menisci.No office rate
Used instead
29880Knee meniscectomyArthroscopic removal of meniscal tissue from both compartments instead of repairing both menisci.No office rate
29881Knee meniscectomyArthroscopic removal of meniscal tissue from one compartment instead of repair of both menisci.No office rate
29868Meniscal transplantArthroscopic meniscal transplantation, a different treatment from repairing existing meniscal tissue.No office rate

29883 billing questions

How does this differ from 29882?

This code is for arthroscopic repair of both the medial and lateral menisci. Code 29882 is for repair of one meniscus.

Can meniscectomy be reported instead when tissue is removed?

No. Repair and removal are different services: use a meniscectomy code when torn meniscal tissue is resected rather than repaired. Codes 29880 and 29881 distinguish removal from both menisci versus one.

What operative documentation supports this code?

Document the repair of each meniscus, identifying medial and lateral involvement and describing the work performed. The record should distinguish repair from debridement or tissue removal.

How is bilateral knee surgery handled?

For procedures performed on both knees, CMS payment with modifier 50 is 150%. The operative record should support treatment of both knees.

Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be billed?

Assistant-at-surgery payment is allowed only when medical necessity is documented. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted for this code.

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 29883PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,364 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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