Billing code 29820: Shoulder synovectomyMedicare rate & RVUs in Alaska
Arthroscopic partial synovectomy removes a limited amount of inflamed shoulder-joint synovium as therapeutic treatment during shoulder surgery.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 29820 in Alaska.
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 9 sections
What 29820 covers
During shoulder arthroscopy, the surgeon removes a portion of abnormal synovial lining to treat active synovitis. The lining may be thickened and inflamed in conditions such as inflammatory arthritis or degenerative shoulder disease. An orthopedic surgeon performs the procedure with an arthroscope and instruments through small portals, commonly in a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center. This is therapeutic tissue removal, not simply inspection or biopsy.
Report 29820 when the operative note supports partial synovectomy and identifies the synovium treated and work performed; synovitis noted during inspection alone is not enough. Distinguish partial removal from complete synovectomy. Diagnostic inspection that is part of the same surgical arthroscopy is not separately reported. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. Endoscopy-family pricing applies when related endoscopies are performed together. For bilateral surgery, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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.
29820 in Alaska*
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska* | Unavailable | $613.26 |
How the 29820 rate is calculated
Each of 29820’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 · 29820
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work7.03
7.03 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense6.64
6.64 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.35
1.35 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
15.0200
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$501.68
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 29820
29820 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 29820
Shoulder synovectomy
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 3 | Endoscopy family rules apply. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.69/0.21 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 29820
Shoulder synovectomy
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.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
29820 without 50 · national facility
$501.68
Shoulder synovectomy
29820-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$752.52
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).
29820 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 29821Shoulder arthroscopy
- 29821 is for complete synovectomy; 29820 describes partial synovial removal. Use the operative report's documented extent to distinguish them.
- 29822Shoulder debridement
- 29822 describes limited shoulder debridement, not partial synovectomy. Do not use it merely because synovial tissue was removed.
- 29823Arthroscopic debridement
- 29823 describes extensive shoulder debridement. It is not selected based only on the amount of synovium removed.
- 29805Shoulder arthroscopy
- 29805 is diagnostic shoulder arthroscopy, with or without synovial biopsy. Use 29820 when the surgeon therapeutically removes part of the synovium.
29820 billing questions
How is partial synovectomy distinguished from complete synovectomy?
Use 29820 for partial removal of shoulder synovium and 29821 when the surgeon performs a complete synovectomy. The operative report should describe the extent of synovial removal.
Can diagnostic shoulder arthroscopy be reported with 29820?
Do not separately report diagnostic inspection that is part of the same operative shoulder arthroscopy. Report 29805 when the service is diagnostic rather than therapeutic synovial removal.
Can synovectomy and debridement be reported together?
Do not separately code removal or trimming of the same synovial tissue as debridement. A separately documented debridement of other structures requires distinct work and must meet the requirements for the applicable debridement code.
What does the 90-day global period include?
The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period for 29820.
How is bilateral 29820 reported?
CMS identifies this as a bilateral procedure; modifier 50 is paid at 150%. The operative documentation should support treatment of both shoulders.
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
Fee sheets
Put 29820 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →