No office rate
Use 29807 for arthroscopic repair of a superior labral lesion. Use 29828 when the long-head biceps tendon is released and fixed at another site.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
29828 Biceps tenodesis Medicare reimbursement rates in Massachusetts
Reports arthroscopic fixation of the long-head biceps tendon at the shoulder for symptomatic tendon or biceps-anchor pathology treated surgically. Compare 29828 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Massachusetts.
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 29828 in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$850.51–$915.62
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
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 29828: Arthroscopic biceps tendon tenodesis
Reports arthroscopic fixation of the long-head biceps tendon at the shoulder for symptomatic tendon or biceps-anchor pathology treated surgically.
The surgeon uses a shoulder arthroscope to release the long-head biceps tendon from its attachment and secure it at another location, commonly on the proximal humerus. Orthopedic surgeons perform this procedure in an operating room or other surgical setting for problems such as symptomatic biceps tendon disease or biceps-anchor pathology. The operative report should identify the tendon work and fixation performed, rather than only noting that the biceps was inspected or debrided.
Report the code when arthroscopic tenodesis is performed; document the indication, operative findings, technique, and shoulder side. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, which includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. For related endoscopies performed together, CMS endoscopy-family pricing applies. A bilateral procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team-surgery payment is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 29828
- 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 RVU12.83 · 51%
- Practice expense (office) RVU9.85 · 39%
- Malpractice RVU2.58 · 10%
43.7K
Medicare services in 2024 · #832 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.
29828 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Massachusetts, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
29827 describes arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. It may accompany 29828 when the surgeon also performs and documents biceps tenodesis.
No office rate
Both codes describe biceps tenodesis, but 23430 is for an open approach; 29828 describes arthroscopic shoulder treatment.
No office rate
29826 is an add-on for qualifying arthroscopic subacromial decompression, not a code for biceps tendon fixation.
Compare 29828 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Metropolitan Boston →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$915.62
Rest Of Massachusetts →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$850.51
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29828 billing questions
How is this different from arthroscopic SLAP repair?
29828 moves and fixes the long-head biceps tendon. 29807 repairs a superior labral lesion, so the operative work and documented treatment determine which code describes the procedure.
Can this be reported with arthroscopic rotator cuff repair?
29828 may be performed during the same shoulder operation as 29827 when both procedures are actually performed and documented. CMS endoscopy-family pricing applies when related endoscopies are performed together.
How should bilateral treatment be reported?
For a bilateral procedure, report modifier 50; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the 90 days after surgery.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
Document the biceps tendon pathology, arthroscopic release and fixation, operative findings, and side. A note describing only inspection or debridement does not establish that tenodesis was performed.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; CMS does not permit team-surgery payment.
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.
3,32529825,,Sho arthrs srg lss&rescj ads,A,,7.60,7.45,NA,7.45,,1.52,16.57,16.57,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29805,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,32629826,,Sho arthrs srg decompression,A,,2.93,0.91,NA,0.91,,0.58,4.42,4.42,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,32729827,,Sho arthrs srg rt8tr cuf rpr,A,,15.20,10.98,NA,10.98,,3.05,29.23,29.23,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29805,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,32829828,,Sho arthrs srg bicp tenodsis,A,,12.83,9.85,NA,9.85,,2.58,25.26,25.26,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29805,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,32929830,,Elbow arthroscopy,A,,5.73,6.19,NA,6.19,,1.23,13.15,13.15,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,33029834,,Elbow arthroscopy/surgery,A,,6.26,6.51,NA,6.51,,1.26,14.03,14.03,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29830,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,33129835,,Elbow arthroscopy/surgery,A,,6.45,6.77,NA,6.77,,1.36,14.58,14.58,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29830,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00