No office rate
Choose 29906 for debridement of abnormal subtalar tissue. Choose 29904 when the arthroscopic work removes a loose body or foreign body.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
29906 Subtalar arthroscopy Medicare reimbursement rates in Indiana
Report this code when a surgeon uses subtalar arthroscopy to remove or clean abnormal tissue within the joint, such as synovial or fibrous tissue. Compare 29906 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Indiana.
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 29906 in Indiana?
Indiana 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
$579.76
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Indiana
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 29906: Subtalar arthroscopic debridement
Report this code when a surgeon uses subtalar arthroscopy to remove or clean abnormal tissue within the joint, such as synovial or fibrous tissue.
An orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon typically performs this procedure in a hospital or ambulatory surgery center. Through small portals, the surgeon inspects the subtalar joint and debrides abnormal tissue, which may include inflamed synovium, scar tissue, or degenerative tissue contributing to pain or restricted motion. The operative report should identify the subtalar joint and describe the tissue treated and the arthroscopic work performed.
Select this code when debridement is the work performed, rather than loose-body removal, coalition excision, or fusion. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 29906
- 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
- Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU9.41 · 50%
- Practice expense (office) RVU7.74 · 41%
- Malpractice RVU1.59 · 8%
160
Medicare services in 2024 · #4509 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.
29906 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Indiana, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
29905 is for arthroscopic excision of a tarsal coalition; 29906 is for debridement within the subtalar joint.
No office rate
29907 reports subtalar arthroscopic fusion. Use 29906 when the procedure is debridement rather than fusion.
No office rate
29897 describes arthroscopic debridement of the ankle joint. The treated joint distinguishes it from subtalar debridement under 29906.
Compare 29906 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
Indiana →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$579.76
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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 29906 in Indiana.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,384
- Code
- 29906
- Physician work
- 9.41
- Practice expense
- 7.74
- Malpractice
- 1.59
GPCI2026.csv
52
- Locality
- Indiana
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.927
- Malpractice
- 0.486
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 9.41 | × 1.000 | 9.4100 |
| Practice expense | 7.74 | × 0.927 | 7.1750 |
| Malpractice | 1.59 | × 0.486 | 0.7727 |
| Total RVUs | 17.3577 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Indiana$579.76
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 9.41 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 7.74 | 0.927 |
| Malpractice | 1.59 | 0.486 |
(9.41 × 1 + 7.74 × 0.927 + 1.59 × 0.486) × $33.4009 = $579.76
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.
29906 billing questions
How is this code different from subtalar loose-body removal?
Use 29906 for arthroscopic debridement of abnormal tissue. Use 29904 when the documented work is removal of a loose body or foreign body.
When should 29905 be reported instead?
29905 describes arthroscopic excision of a tarsal coalition. Report 29906 when the subtalar work is debridement rather than coalition excision.
What should the operative note document?
Document that the subtalar joint was treated arthroscopically and describe the abnormal tissue debrided and the work performed.
Does this code have a postoperative global period?
Yes. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
How is bilateral subtalar arthroscopy reported?
For bilateral procedures, report modifier 50; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
Can an assistant surgeon be paid?
CMS indicates that assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted 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 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.
3,38129902,,Mcp joint arthroscopy surg,A,,6.98,8.08,NA,8.08,,1.48,16.54,16.54,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,38229904,,Subtalar arthro w/fb rmvl,A,,8.43,7.82,NA,7.82,,1.78,18.03,18.03,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,38329905,,Subtalar arthro w/exc,A,,8.95,4.57,NA,4.57,,0.78,14.30,14.30,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,38429906,,Subtalar arthro w/deb,A,,9.41,7.74,NA,7.74,,1.59,18.74,18.74,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,38529907,,Subtalar arthro w/fusion,A,,11.88,10.14,NA,10.14,,2.53,24.55,24.55,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,38629914,,Hip arthro w/femoroplasty,A,,14.30,10.27,NA,10.27,,2.83,27.40,27.40,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29860,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,38729915,,Hip arthro acetabuloplasty,A,,14.63,10.37,NA,10.37,,2.91,27.91,27.91,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29860,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4906102,IL,12,EAST ST. LOUIS,1.000,0.920,2.014
5006102,IL,15,SUBURBAN CHICAGO,1.007,1.027,1.772
5106102,IL,99,REST OF ILLINOIS,1.000,0.913,1.563
5208102,IN,00,INDIANA,1.000,0.927,0.486
5305102,IA,00,IOWA,1.000,0.915,0.397
5405202,KS,00,KANSAS,1.000,0.904,0.504
5515102,KY,00,KENTUCKY,1.000,0.889,0.915