No office rate
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.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
G0289 Knee arthroscopy Medicare reimbursement rates in Alabama
Reports arthroscopic removal of a loose or foreign body, with cartilage debridement when performed, in a separate knee compartment during another surgical arthroscopy. Compare G0289 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 G0289 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
$66.73
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 G0289: Knee arthroscopy loose-body removal add-on
Reports arthroscopic removal of a loose or foreign body, with cartilage debridement when performed, in a separate knee compartment during another surgical arthroscopy.
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.
CMS billing rules for G0289
- Global period
- Add-on code: billed only together with a primary procedure and paid within that procedure's global period.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU1.44 · 66%
- Practice expense (office) RVU0.45 · 21%
- Malpractice RVU0.29 · 13%
2K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2465 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.
G0289 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Alabama, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
29877 describes knee arthroscopic cartilage debridement or shaving. G0289 requires loose- or foreign-body removal in a separate compartment; chondroplasty alone does not qualify.
No office rate
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.
Compare G0289 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
$66.73
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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 G0289 in Alabama.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
15,174
- Code
- G0289
- Physician work
- 1.44
- Practice expense
- 0.45
- Malpractice
- 0.29
GPCI2026.csv
4
- Locality
- Alabama
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.875
- Malpractice
- 0.566
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 1.44 | × 1.000 | 1.4400 |
| Practice expense | 0.45 | × 0.875 | 0.3937 |
| Malpractice | 0.29 | × 0.566 | 0.1641 |
| Total RVUs | 1.9979 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Alabama$66.73
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 1.44 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 0.45 | 0.875 |
| Malpractice | 0.29 | 0.566 |
(1.44 × 1 + 0.45 × 0.875 + 0.29 × 0.566) × $33.4009 = $66.73
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.
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 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.
15,171G0282,,Elect stim wound care not pd,N,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
15,172G0283,,Elec stim other than wound,A,,0.18,0.19,,0.19,NA,0.01,0.38,0.38,7,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,5,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
15,173G0288,,"Recon, cta for surg plan",A,,0.00,1.31,,1.31,NA,0.07,1.38,1.38,3,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
15,174G0289,,"Arthro, loose body + chondro",A,,1.44,0.45,NA,0.45,,0.29,2.18,2.18,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
15,175G0293,,"Non-cov surg proc,clin trial",E,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
15,176G0294,,"Non-cov proc, clinical trial",E,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
15,177G0295,,Electromagnetic therapy onc,N,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,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