No office rate
Use 29805 for diagnostic shoulder arthroscopy without therapeutic work. Use 29825 when adhesions are released or removed arthroscopically.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
29825 Shoulder arthroscopy Medicare reimbursement rates in Alabama
Reports therapeutic shoulder arthroscopy to release or remove adhesions, commonly for a stiff shoulder when contracted tissue limits motion. Compare 29825 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Alabama.
Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.
What does Medicare pay for 29825 in Alabama?
Alabama has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$500.31
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Alabama
One mapped payment locality.
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Orthopedic surgery
About 29825: Arthroscopic shoulder adhesion release
Reports therapeutic shoulder arthroscopy to release or remove adhesions, commonly for a stiff shoulder when contracted tissue limits motion.
An orthopedic surgeon uses an arthroscope and instruments to release or remove adhesions within the shoulder joint. The procedure is commonly performed for adhesive capsulitis or persistent stiffness after prior shoulder surgery or injury. The surgeon may also manipulate the shoulder to improve motion; manipulation is optional to this service. It is performed in a surgical setting, including a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center.
Choose this code when arthroscopic treatment of adhesions is the principal work, and document the affected shoulder, the adhesions released or resected, and any manipulation performed. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When related endoscopies are performed together, CMS endoscopy-family pricing applies. Modifier 50 identifies bilateral surgery, paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid; co-surgeons require supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 29825
- Global period
- Major surgery with a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included.
- Multiple procedures
- Endoscopy family pricing applies when related endoscopies are performed together.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU7.60 · 46%
- Practice expense (office) RVU7.45 · 45%
- Malpractice RVU1.52 · 9%
2.9K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2207 by national volume
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.
29825 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Alabama, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Code 29822 describes limited shoulder debridement. Adhesion release or resection, rather than limited tissue cleanup, supports 29825.
No office rate
Code 29823 describes extensive shoulder debridement. Choose 29825 when the operative work is arthroscopic release or removal of adhesions.
No office rate
Code 29806 describes arthroscopic shoulder stabilization for instability. Code 29825 addresses adhesions restricting shoulder motion.
Compare 29825 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
1 of 1 payment localities
Alabama →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$500.31
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How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 29825 in Alabama.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,325
- Code
- 29825
- Physician work
- 7.60
- Practice expense
- 7.45
- Malpractice
- 1.52
GPCI2026.csv
4
- Locality
- Alabama
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.875
- Malpractice
- 0.566
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 7.60 | × 1.000 | 7.6000 |
| Practice expense | 7.45 | × 0.875 | 6.5187 |
| Malpractice | 1.52 | × 0.566 | 0.8603 |
| Total RVUs | 14.9791 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Alabama$500.31
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 7.6 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 7.45 | 0.875 |
| Malpractice | 1.52 | 0.566 |
(7.6 × 1 + 7.45 × 0.875 + 1.52 × 0.566) × $33.4009 = $500.31
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
29825 billing questions
How does this differ from diagnostic shoulder arthroscopy?
This code represents therapeutic release or removal of adhesions. A diagnostic arthroscopy code is for examination when no therapeutic arthroscopic procedure is performed.
Is manipulation required?
No. The service may include manipulation, but arthroscopic adhesion release or resection is the defining work.
Can shoulder decompression be reported with this procedure?
Code 29826 is an add-on for eligible primary shoulder arthroscopy procedures, including this one, when decompression is also performed and documented.
How is bilateral surgery handled?
CMS identifies this as a bilateral procedure; modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
Document the shoulder treated, the adhesions encountered, and the arthroscopic release or removal performed. Include manipulation if performed, but it is not required.
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 indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.
Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.
3,32229822,,Sho arthrs srg lmtd dbrdmt,A,,6.85,7.19,NA,7.19,,1.41,15.45,15.45,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,0,0,9,29805,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,32329823,,Sho arthrs srg xtnsv dbrdmt,A,,7.78,7.39,NA,7.39,,1.56,16.73,16.73,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29805,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,32429824,,Sho arthrs srg dstl claviclc,A,,8.76,8.61,NA,8.61,,1.76,19.13,19.13,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29805,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,32529825,,Sho arthrs srg lss&rescj ads,A,,7.60,7.45,NA,7.45,,1.52,16.57,16.57,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29805,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,32629826,,Sho arthrs srg decompression,A,,2.93,0.91,NA,0.91,,0.58,4.42,4.42,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,32729827,,Sho arthrs srg rt8tr cuf rpr,A,,15.20,10.98,NA,10.98,,3.05,29.23,29.23,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29805,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,32829828,,Sho arthrs srg bicp tenodsis,A,,12.83,9.85,NA,9.85,,2.58,25.26,25.26,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29805,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1ADDENDUM E. FINAL CY 2026 GEOGRAPHIC PRACTICE COST INDICES (GPCIs) BY STATE AND MEDICARE LOCALITY,,,,,,
2,,,,,,
3Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC),State,Locality Number,Locality Name,2026 PW GPCI (with 1.0 Floor)***,2026 PE GPCI,2026 MP GPCI
410112,AL,00,ALABAMA,1.000,0.875,0.566
502102,AK,01,ALASKA*,1.500,1.065,0.551
603102,AZ,00,ARIZONA,1.000,0.969,0.856
707102,AR,13,ARKANSAS,1.000,0.859,0.515