Billing code 29825: Shoulder arthroscopyMedicare rate & RVUs in Delaware
Reports therapeutic shoulder arthroscopy to release or remove adhesions, commonly for a stiff shoulder when contracted tissue limits motion.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 29825 in Delaware.
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 29825 covers
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.
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 in Delaware
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Delaware | Unavailable | $546.61 |
How the 29825 rate is calculated
Each of 29825’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 · 29825
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 7.60Practice expense 7.45Malpractice 1.52
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 29825
29825 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 29825
Shoulder arthroscopy
| 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 · 29825
Shoulder arthroscopy
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
29825 without 50 · national facility
$553.45
Shoulder arthroscopy
29825-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$830.18
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).
29825 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
29825 vs 29805 vs 29822 vs 29823 vs 29806: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 29805Shoulder arthroscopy
- Use 29805 for diagnostic shoulder arthroscopy without therapeutic work. Use 29825 when adhesions are released or removed arthroscopically.
- 29822Shoulder debridement
- Code 29822 describes limited shoulder debridement. Adhesion release or resection, rather than limited tissue cleanup, supports 29825.
- 29823Arthroscopic debridement
- Code 29823 describes extensive shoulder debridement. Choose 29825 when the operative work is arthroscopic release or removal of adhesions.
- 29806Shoulder stabilization
- Code 29806 describes arthroscopic shoulder stabilization for instability. Code 29825 addresses adhesions restricting shoulder motion.
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 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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