No office rate
29885 identifies drilling of an intact OCD lesion. 29886 is used for OCD lesion drilling when the lesion is not specified as intact.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
29885 Knee arthroscopy Medicare reimbursement rates in Connecticut
Arthroscopic drilling of an intact knee osteochondritis dissecans lesion is reported to stimulate healing when the fragment remains stable and is not internally fixed. Compare 29885 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Connecticut.
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 29885 in Connecticut?
Connecticut 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
$757.77
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Connecticut
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 29885: Arthroscopic drilling of intact OCD lesion
Arthroscopic drilling of an intact knee osteochondritis dissecans lesion is reported to stimulate healing when the fragment remains stable and is not internally fixed.
An orthopedic surgeon uses a knee arthroscope and instruments passed through small portals to drill an intact osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) lesion. The perforations encourage blood flow and healing in the affected osteochondral area while leaving the stable fragment in place. This procedure is performed in an operating room, typically in a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center.
Report 29885 when the operative documentation supports drilling of an intact OCD lesion without internal fixation. Distinguish it from codes for drilling an OCD lesion that is not specified as intact or for drilling with fixation. CMS 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 procedures, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 29885
- 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 RVU9.95 · 47%
- Practice expense (office) RVU9.26 · 43%
- Malpractice RVU2.12 · 10%
30
Medicare services in 2024 · #5666 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.
29885 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Connecticut, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
29885 describes drilling without internal fixation; 29887 is the related code for drilling with internal fixation.
No office rate
29879 describes arthroscopic abrasion arthroplasty, a different cartilage procedure. It does not identify drilling of an intact OCD lesion.
Compare 29885 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
Connecticut →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$757.77
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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 29885 in Connecticut.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,366
- Code
- 29885
- Physician work
- 9.95
- Practice expense
- 9.26
- Malpractice
- 2.12
GPCI2026.csv
38
- Locality
- Connecticut
- Physician work
- 1.020
- Practice expense
- 1.077
- Malpractice
- 1.210
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 9.95 | × 1.020 | 10.1490 |
| Practice expense | 9.26 | × 1.077 | 9.9730 |
| Malpractice | 2.12 | × 1.210 | 2.5652 |
| Total RVUs | 22.6872 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Connecticut$757.77
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 9.95 | 1.02 |
| Practice expense | 9.26 | 1.077 |
| Malpractice | 2.12 | 1.21 |
(9.95 × 1.02 + 9.26 × 1.077 + 2.12 × 1.21) × $33.4009 = $757.77
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.
29885 billing questions
When should 29885 be selected instead of 29886?
Use 29885 when the surgeon documents drilling of an intact OCD lesion. Code 29886 is the related drilling code for an OCD lesion not specified as intact.
How does 29885 differ from 29887?
29885 describes drilling an intact lesion without internal fixation. Use 29887 when drilling is performed with internal fixation.
What documentation supports 29885?
The operative report should identify the OCD lesion as intact and describe arthroscopic drilling. Documenting whether the lesion was fixed helps distinguish this service from related codes.
How are bilateral procedures and surgical assistance handled?
CMS pays bilateral procedures reported with modifier 50 at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
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.
3,36329882,,Arthrs kne srg mnisc rpr m/l,A,,9.36,8.00,NA,8.00,,1.86,19.22,19.22,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,1,0,0,9,29870,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,36429883,,Arthrs kne srg mnisc rpr m&l,A,,11.48,9.64,NA,9.64,,2.41,23.53,23.53,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,0,0,0,9,29870,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,36529884,,Arthrs knee surg lysis ads,A,,8.07,7.82,NA,7.82,,1.66,17.55,17.55,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29870,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,36629885,,Arthrs kne srg drlg ost diss,A,,9.95,9.26,NA,9.26,,2.12,21.33,21.33,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29870,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,36729886,,Arthrs knee surg drlg od les,A,,8.28,8.07,NA,8.07,,1.76,18.11,18.11,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,1,0,0,9,29870,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,36829887,,Arthrs knee srg drlg od fixj,A,,9.91,9.25,NA,9.25,,2.11,21.27,21.27,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29870,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,36929888,,Arthrs aid acl rpr/agmntj,A,,13.94,9.95,NA,9.95,,2.74,26.63,26.63,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3501112,CA,70,YUBA CITY,1.017,1.096,0.536
3601112,CA,75,REST OF CALIFORNIA,1.017,1.096,0.536
3704112,CO,01,COLORADO,1.012,1.064,0.781
3813102,CT,00,CONNECTICUT,1.020,1.077,1.210
3912202,DC,01,DC + MD/VA SUBURBS,1.054,1.178,1.113
4012102,DE,01,DELAWARE,1.005,0.988,0.899
4109102,FL,03,FORT LAUDERDALE,1.000,1.013,1.808