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Billing code 29902: MCP arthroscopyMedicare rate & RVUs

Arthroscopic removal of a loose or foreign body from a metacarpophalangeal joint, reported when the surgeon performs therapeutic MCP arthroscopy.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare pays $552.45 for 29902 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 29902

MCP arthroscopy

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
6.98
Total RVUs
16.54
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$552.45

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 29902 → · 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 29902 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 29902 covers

A hand surgeon uses an arthroscope and instruments through small portals to remove a loose body or foreign body from a metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint—the knuckle joint between a finger and the hand. The procedure may be performed in a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center when a joint body is being treated arthroscopically, such as after an injury or with joint disease. The operative service is therapeutic, not a diagnostic-only inspection.

Choose this code when the operative report supports arthroscopic removal of a loose or foreign body from the MCP joint; document the joint, the body treated, and the arthroscopic work performed. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including 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 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 29902 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

29902 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$497.26
Alaska*Unavailable$664.37
ArizonaUnavailable$536.97
ArkansasUnavailable$490.42
AtlantaUnavailable$567.40
AustinUnavailable$562.93
BakersfieldUnavailable$563.46
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$587.60
BeaumontUnavailable$524.65
BrazoriaUnavailable$541.01

29902 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
29902 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 29902 rate is calculated

Each of 29902’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 · 29902

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 6.98Practice expense 8.08Malpractice 1.48

16.5400 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$552.45

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 29902

29902 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 29902

MCP arthroscopy

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 · 29902

MCP 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

29902 without 50 · national facility

$552.45

MCP arthroscopy

29902-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$828.68

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

29902 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

29902 vs 29900 vs 29901 vs 29999: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 29902
    MCP arthroscopy · 6.98 wRVU
    —
  • 29900
    Joint arthroscopy · 5.73 wRVU
    —
  • 29901
    MCP arthroscopy · 6.43 wRVU
    —
  • 29999
    · 0 wRVU
    —

How to choose

29900Joint arthroscopy
Use 29900 for diagnostic MCP arthroscopy, with or without synovial biopsy. Use 29902 when the surgeon performs arthroscopic removal of a loose or foreign body.
29901MCP arthroscopy
29901 describes MCP arthroscopy with synovectomy. 29902 describes arthroscopic removal of a loose or foreign body from the MCP joint.
29999Unlisted px arthroscopy
29999 is an unlisted arthroscopy code for a procedure without a specific code. Use 29902 when the documented MCP service is arthroscopic loose- or foreign-body removal.

Codes related to 29902

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

Codes related to 29902
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
29900Joint arthroscopyDiagnostic MCP arthroscopy; used when the service is diagnostic rather than therapeutic removal.No office rate
29901MCP arthroscopyMCP arthroscopy with synovectomy, a different surgical treatment from loose-body removal.No office rate
Used instead
29999Unlisted px arthroscopyUnlisted arthroscopy code for an arthroscopic service without a specific code describing the procedure.No office rate

29902 billing questions

How does this differ from 29901?

29902 is for arthroscopic removal of a loose or foreign body from an MCP joint. 29901 describes MCP arthroscopy with synovectomy.

Can 29900 be reported for the diagnostic inspection?

29900 describes diagnostic MCP arthroscopy. Diagnostic inspection is part of the therapeutic arthroscopy when 29902 is performed, rather than a separate diagnostic service for the same procedure.

What should the operative note document?

Identify the MCP joint, the loose or foreign body addressed, and the arthroscopic removal performed. The documentation should support therapeutic work rather than diagnostic inspection alone.

How is bilateral MCP arthroscopy reported?

CMS lists bilateral reporting with modifier 50, paid at 150%. The operative documentation should support treatment of both sides.

What postoperative care is included?

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

When is assistant-at-surgery payment allowed?

CMS allows assistant-at-surgery payment only when medical necessity is documented. 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 29902PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,381 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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