No office rate
29904 is for arthroscopic removal of a loose body or foreign material from the subtalar joint; 29905 is for subtalar arthroscopic excision.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
29904 Subtalar arthroscopy Medicare reimbursement rates in Iowa
Arthroscopic subtalar-joint removal of a loose body or foreign material is reported when a surgeon retrieves it through the scope during operative treatment. Compare 29904 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Iowa.
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 29904 in Iowa?
Iowa 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
$544.17
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Iowa
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.
Foot and ankle surgery
About 29904: Subtalar arthroscopic loose-body removal
Arthroscopic subtalar-joint removal of a loose body or foreign material is reported when a surgeon retrieves it through the scope during operative treatment.
An orthopedic surgeon, often specializing in foot and ankle surgery, uses an arthroscope and instruments to locate and remove a loose body or foreign material from the subtalar joint. The procedure is generally performed in an operating room, commonly in a facility setting. A patient may undergo it when an intra-articular fragment causes symptoms such as catching or restricted motion, but the operative report must support removal from the subtalar joint.
Report this code when the arthroscopic work includes removal of the material, rather than excision of tissue, debridement, or subtalar fusion. Documentation should identify the joint, the material removed, and the arthroscopic procedure performed. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 29904
- 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 RVU8.43 · 47%
- Practice expense (office) RVU7.82 · 43%
- Malpractice RVU1.78 · 10%
25
Medicare services in 2024 · #5783 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.
29904 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Iowa, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
29904 reports removal of a loose body or foreign material. Choose 29906 when the documented subtalar arthroscopic work is debridement.
No office rate
29904 reports removal of material from the subtalar joint. 29907 is the subtalar arthroscopy code for fusion.
No office rate
Both involve arthroscopic removal of loose material, but 29894 is for the ankle joint; 29904 is for the subtalar joint.
Compare 29904 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
Iowa →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$544.17
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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 29904 in Iowa.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,382
- Code
- 29904
- Physician work
- 8.43
- Practice expense
- 7.82
- Malpractice
- 1.78
GPCI2026.csv
53
- Locality
- Iowa
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.915
- Malpractice
- 0.397
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 8.43 | × 1.000 | 8.4300 |
| Practice expense | 7.82 | × 0.915 | 7.1553 |
| Malpractice | 1.78 | × 0.397 | 0.7067 |
| Total RVUs | 16.2920 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Iowa$544.17
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 8.43 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 7.82 | 0.915 |
| Malpractice | 1.78 | 0.397 |
(8.43 × 1 + 7.82 × 0.915 + 1.78 × 0.397) × $33.4009 = $544.17
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.
29904 billing questions
How does this code differ from subtalar debridement?
Use 29904 when the arthroscopic work removes a loose body or foreign material. Subtalar debridement is reported with 29906 when the work is debridement rather than removal of that material.
How is removal distinguished from excision?
29904 describes arthroscopic removal of a loose body or foreign material from the subtalar joint. Code 29905 represents subtalar arthroscopic excision; select based on the work documented.
What documentation supports 29904?
The operative report should establish that the procedure involved the subtalar joint and describe the loose body or foreign material removed and the arthroscopic work performed.
Can this be reported for both feet?
CMS identifies bilateral reporting with modifier 50 and payment at 150%. The record should support the procedure on each side.
Can an assistant surgeon be paid for this procedure?
CMS permits payment for an assistant at surgery for 29904. Co-surgeons and team surgery are 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.
3,37929900,,Mcp joint arthroscopy dx,A,,5.73,7.83,NA,7.83,,1.23,14.79,14.79,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,38029901,,Mcp joint arthroscopy surg,A,,6.43,7.90,NA,7.90,,1.35,15.68,15.68,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,38129902,,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
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
5607202,LA,01,NEW ORLEANS,1.000,0.941,1.136