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HCPCS G0289: Knee arthroscopyMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports arthroscopic removal of a loose or foreign body, with cartilage debridement when performed, in a separate knee compartment during another surgical arthroscopy.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities2K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $72.81 for G0289 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · G0289

Knee arthroscopy

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
1.44
Total RVUs
2.18
Global days
ZZZ

National rate · 2026

$72.81

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for G0289 → · 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 G0289 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 G0289 covers

G0289 describes removal of a loose body or foreign body during another surgical knee arthroscopy when the removal occurs in a different compartment of the same knee. The service may include shaving damaged articular cartilage around the removal site. An orthopedic surgeon commonly performs it during arthroscopic meniscal surgery; for example, the primary work may address a meniscus in one compartment while a loose body is removed from another, such as the patellofemoral compartment.

Report G0289 only with a qualifying primary knee arthroscopy and document the removed body, the compartment where it was found, and how that compartment differs from the primary procedure's site. The code is an add-on, not a stand-alone service, and CMS places its payment within the primary procedure's global period. When billed bilaterally with modifier 50, CMS pays 150%. Chondroplasty in another compartment, without qualifying loose-body or foreign-body removal, does not support G0289.

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 G0289 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

G0289 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$66.73
Alaska*Unavailable$93.49
ArizonaUnavailable$70.95
ArkansasUnavailable$66.00
AtlantaUnavailable$75.15
AustinUnavailable$72.68
BakersfieldUnavailable$71.38
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$76.98
BeaumontUnavailable$70.77
BrazoriaUnavailable$70.93

G0289 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

Explore a state

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
G0289 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 G0289 rate is calculated

Each of G0289’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 · G0289

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 1.44Practice expense 0.45Malpractice 0.29

2.1800 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$72.81

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

Payment rules and modifiers for G0289

The CMS indicators that decide how G0289 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · G0289

Knee arthroscopy

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global periodZZZAdd-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period.
Multiple procedures0No multiple-procedure reduction.
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.

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 50 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

G0289 without 50 · national facility

$72.81

Knee arthroscopy

G0289-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$109.22

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

G0289 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

G0289 vs 29874 vs 29877 vs 29881: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • G0289
    Knee arthroscopy · 1.44 wRVU
    —
  • 29874
    Knee arthroscopy · 7.01 wRVU
    —
  • 29877
    Knee chondroplasty · 8.09 wRVU
    —
  • 29881
    Knee meniscectomy · 6.85 wRVU
    —

How to choose

29874Knee arthroscopy
29874 describes arthroscopic loose- or foreign-body removal as a primary procedure. G0289 is for qualifying removal in a different compartment during another surgical knee arthroscopy.
29877Knee chondroplasty
29877 describes knee arthroscopic cartilage debridement or shaving. G0289 requires loose- or foreign-body removal in a separate compartment; chondroplasty alone does not qualify.
29881Knee meniscectomy
29881 reports a knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy. G0289 may be added when loose- or foreign-body removal occurs in a different compartment during that procedure.

Codes related to G0289

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

Codes related to G0289
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Add-on codes
29880Knee meniscectomyA primary knee arthroscopy that may be reported with G0289 for qualifying separate-compartment removal.No office rate
29881Knee meniscectomyA primary knee arthroscopy that may be reported with G0289 for qualifying separate-compartment removal.No office rate
Used instead
29874Knee arthroscopyArthroscopic loose-body removal when performed as a separate procedure rather than as G0289 add-on work.No office rate

G0289 billing questions

When is G0289 appropriate with a meniscectomy?

Use it when a loose body or foreign body is removed from a different compartment of the same knee during another surgical knee arthroscopy, such as a meniscectomy. The separate-compartment work must be documented.

Can G0289 be reported for chondroplasty alone?

No. Chondroplasty in another compartment without removal of a loose body or foreign body does not support G0289.

Can G0289 be billed by itself?

No. It is an add-on code and must be reported with a qualifying primary surgical knee arthroscopy.

What documentation supports the separate-compartment service?

Document the loose body or foreign body removed, its knee compartment, and the compartment addressed by the primary arthroscopy.

How does CMS handle bilateral reporting?

When G0289 is billed bilaterally with modifier 50, CMS payment is 150%.

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 G0289PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 15,174 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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