No office rate
29882 represents arthroscopic repair of the patient's meniscus. Use 29868 when donor meniscal tissue is transplanted to address meniscal deficiency.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
29868 Meniscal transplant Medicare reimbursement rates in Minnesota
Reports arthroscopic placement and fixation of donor meniscal tissue for a knee with substantial meniscal deficiency, often after prior meniscectomy. Compare 29868 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Minnesota.
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 29868 in Minnesota?
Minnesota 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
$1405.48
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Minnesota
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 29868: Arthroscopic meniscal transplantation
Reports arthroscopic placement and fixation of donor meniscal tissue for a knee with substantial meniscal deficiency, often after prior meniscectomy.
This arthroscopic knee procedure places donor meniscal tissue in a compartment with substantial meniscal loss, often after a prior meniscectomy. The orthopedic surgeon prepares the recipient site and secures the graft; the fixation method depends on the operative technique. It is performed in an operating room for selected patients with symptomatic meniscal deficiency, rather than for routine treatment of a tear that can be repaired or resected.
Report the transplant when donor meniscal tissue is placed arthroscopically; recipient-site preparation and graft fixation are part of the service. The operative report should identify the transplanted tissue, knee compartment, indication, and work performed. CMS assigns a 90-day major-surgery global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For same-session procedures, 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 payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 29868
- 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 is paid only with documentation of medical necessity.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU24.47 · 54%
- Practice expense (office) RVU15.62 · 34%
- Malpractice RVU5.19 · 11%
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.
29868 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Minnesota, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
29883 represents repair of menisci in both compartments. It does not describe placement of donor meniscal tissue.
No office rate
29881 is for arthroscopic meniscal resection in one compartment; 29868 is for transplantation of donor meniscal tissue.
No office rate
29867 concerns arthroscopic implantation of osteochondral allograft tissue for a cartilage or bone defect, not a meniscal transplant.
Compare 29868 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
Minnesota →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1405.48
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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 29868 in Minnesota.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,352
- Code
- 29868
- Physician work
- 24.47
- Practice expense
- 15.62
- Malpractice
- 5.19
GPCI2026.csv
66
- Locality
- Minnesota
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 1.029
- Malpractice
- 0.296
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 24.47 | × 1.000 | 24.4700 |
| Practice expense | 15.62 | × 1.029 | 16.0730 |
| Malpractice | 5.19 | × 0.296 | 1.5362 |
| Total RVUs | 42.0792 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Minnesota$1405.48
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 24.47 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 15.62 | 1.029 |
| Malpractice | 5.19 | 0.296 |
(24.47 × 1 + 15.62 × 1.029 + 5.19 × 0.296) × $33.4009 = $1405.48
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.
29868 billing questions
How is a meniscal transplant different from a meniscal repair?
This code is for transplanting donor meniscal tissue to address substantial meniscal deficiency. A repair code is used when the patient's existing meniscus is repaired.
Does this code include graft fixation and recipient-site preparation?
Yes. Preparation of the recipient site and fixation needed for the transplant are included in the arthroscopic service.
Can modifier 50 be used for a bilateral transplant?
CMS lists bilateral reporting with modifier 50, paid at 150%. The operative documentation should support transplantation on both knees.
What documentation supports reporting this procedure?
Document the meniscal deficiency and its clinical context, the transplanted tissue and compartment, and the arthroscopic preparation and fixation performed.
When is an assistant at surgery payable?
CMS allows assistant-at-surgery payment only when medical necessity is documented.
What postoperative care is included in the global period?
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 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.
3,34929863,,Hip arthr0 w/synovectomy,A,,10.89,9.66,NA,9.66,,2.12,22.67,22.67,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29860,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,35029866,,Autgrft implnt knee w/scope,A,,14.30,11.98,NA,11.98,,3.04,29.32,29.32,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,35129867,,Allgrft implnt knee w/scope,A,,17.93,13.53,NA,13.53,,3.83,35.29,35.29,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,35229868,,Meniscal trnspl knee w/scpe,A,,24.47,15.62,NA,15.62,,5.19,45.28,45.28,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,35329870,,Arthrs knee dx w/wo syn bx,A,,5.06,11.96,,5.88,,1.03,18.05,11.97,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,35429871,,Arthrs knee surg for infctj,A,,6.52,6.84,NA,6.84,,1.35,14.71,14.71,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,1,0,0,9,29870,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,35529873,,Arthrs knee surg w/lat rls,A,,6.08,8.26,NA,8.26,,1.26,15.60,15.60,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,1,1,0,9,29870,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6314212,MA,99,REST OF MASSACHUSETTS,1.016,1.053,0.797
6408202,MI,01,DETROIT,1.000,0.965,1.686
6508202,MI,99,REST OF MICHIGAN,1.000,0.913,1.129
6606202,MN,00,MINNESOTA,1.000,1.029,0.296
6707302,MS,00,MISSISSIPPI,1.000,0.861,0.739
6805302,MO,02,METROPOLITAN KANSAS CITY,1.000,0.939,0.977
6905302,MO,01,METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS,1.000,0.952,1.002