CPT code 29861: Hip arthroscopy2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Illinois
Arthroscopic hip surgery to extract an intra-articular loose or foreign body, such as a fragment that is causing symptoms or limiting joint motion.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 29861 in Illinois.
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 29861 covers
An orthopedic surgeon uses a camera and instruments through small incisions to inspect the hip joint and remove a loose fragment or foreign object from within it. The procedure is generally performed in a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center when imaging and clinical findings support removal; the operative report should identify the material removed and the arthroscopic work performed.
Report this service when arthroscopic removal is the therapeutic work, rather than a diagnostic examination alone or treatment directed primarily at debridement or synovectomy. Documentation should establish the intra-articular finding and its removal. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 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 services may be paid; 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.
Where 29861 pays more and less in Illinois
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | Unavailable | $739.69 |
| East St. Louis | Unavailable | $697.57 |
| Rest Of Illinois | Unavailable | $668.28 |
| Suburban Chicago | Unavailable | $713.79 |
How the 29861 rate is calculated
Each of 29861’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 · 29861
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work9.85
9.85 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense8.01
8.01 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.82
1.82 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
19.6800
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$657.33
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 29861
29861 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 29861
Hip 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 · 29861
Hip 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
29861 without 50 · national facility
$657.33
Hip arthroscopy
29861-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$986.00
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).
29861 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 29860Hip arthroscopy
- 29860 is for diagnostic hip arthroscopy. Use 29861 when the arthroscopic work includes removal of a loose or foreign body.
- 29862Hip arthroscopy
- 29862 describes hip arthroscopic debridement. 29861 identifies arthroscopic removal of a loose or foreign body.
- 29863Hip arthroscopy
- 29863 describes hip arthroscopic synovectomy. 29861 is selected for removal of a loose or foreign body.
- 29874Knee arthroscopy
- 29874 addresses arthroscopic removal of a loose or foreign body in the knee; 29861 is for the hip.
29861 billing questions
How does this differ from diagnostic hip arthroscopy?
Use 29861 when the arthroscopic procedure removes a loose or foreign body. A diagnostic hip arthroscopy is the appropriate service when the work is examination rather than therapeutic removal.
Can diagnostic hip arthroscopy be reported separately with this procedure?
The diagnostic inspection is part of the operative arthroscopy when removal is performed; do not separately report 29860 for that same hip and session.
When does 29862 describe the work instead?
29862 describes arthroscopic debridement. Choose 29861 when the documented therapeutic work is removal of a loose or foreign body, not debridement as the primary service.
What should the operative report document?
Document the intra-articular loose or foreign body, its removal, and the arthroscopic work performed. This supports that the service was therapeutic removal rather than diagnostic inspection alone.
How is bilateral surgery reported?
For bilateral procedures, report modifier 50; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%. The code has a 90-day global period.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be billed?
Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; 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 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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