Billing code 29822: Shoulder debridementMedicare rate & RVUs in Alaska
Reports arthroscopic cleanup of one or two shoulder structures, such as frayed tissue or cartilage, when the surgeon performs limited debridement.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 29822 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 29822 covers
An orthopedic surgeon uses a shoulder arthroscope and instruments through small incisions to remove or smooth damaged, frayed, or inflamed tissue. The treated structures may include cartilage, labrum, tendon, or other shoulder tissues. The code represents limited work on one or two discrete structures, rather than extensive debridement across three or more. It is typically performed in a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center for problems such as degenerative fraying or tissue damage found during shoulder arthroscopy.
Choose the code from the operative report’s account of which structures were actually debrided and the extent of that work. The report should identify the treated structures and describe the debridement; routine scope inspection alone does not establish the service. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When related endoscopies are performed together, endoscopy-family pricing applies. For bilateral surgery, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; 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.
29822 in Alaska*
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska* | Unavailable | $624.91 |
How the 29822 rate is calculated
Each of 29822’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 · 29822
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work6.85
6.85 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense7.19
7.19 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.41
1.41 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
15.4500
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$516.04
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 29822
29822 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 29822
Shoulder debridement
| 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) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| 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 · 29822
Shoulder debridement
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
29822 without 50 · national facility
$516.04
Shoulder debridement
29822-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$774.06
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).
29822 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 29823Arthroscopic debridement
- Use 29822 for one or two debrided structures; 29823 describes extensive debridement involving three or more structures.
- 29805Shoulder arthroscopy
- Code 29805 represents diagnostic shoulder arthroscopy. Use 29822 when the surgeon performs therapeutic debridement.
- 29820Shoulder synovectomy
- Code 29820 is for partial synovectomy. Code 29822 is for limited debridement of one or two structures, not synovectomy as the defined service.
- 29819Shoulder arthroscopy
- Code 29819 describes arthroscopic removal of a loose body. Code 29822 describes limited tissue debridement instead.
29822 billing questions
How does limited debridement differ from code 29823?
Code 29822 is for debridement of one or two discrete shoulder structures. Code 29823 is for extensive debridement involving three or more structures.
Can this code be reported for diagnostic arthroscopy alone?
No. This code describes therapeutic debridement, not inspection alone. Diagnostic shoulder arthroscopy is represented by code 29805 when no surgical treatment is performed.
What should the operative report document?
Identify each structure debrided and describe the tissue treated and work performed. The documentation should support whether one or two structures received limited debridement.
How is bilateral shoulder debridement reported under the listed CMS rule?
For a bilateral procedure, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. The operative documentation should support that the procedure was performed on both shoulders.
Does the code include related postoperative care?
Yes. Its 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant surgeon be paid for this procedure?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. CMS does not permit co-surgeons or team surgery for this code.
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
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