$649.74–$679.79
29870 is for diagnostic knee arthroscopy, with or without synovial biopsy. Choose 29871 when the surgeon therapeutically lavages and drains an infected knee.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
29871 Knee arthroscopy Medicare reimbursement rates in New Jersey
Reports arthroscopic surgical lavage and drainage of an infected knee joint, typically performed to treat septic arthritis rather than for diagnostic inspection alone. Compare 29871 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in New Jersey.
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 29871 in New Jersey?
New Jersey 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
$525.43–$544.67
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 29871: Arthroscopic knee infection drainage
Reports arthroscopic surgical lavage and drainage of an infected knee joint, typically performed to treat septic arthritis rather than for diagnostic inspection alone.
An orthopedic surgeon uses an arthroscope and instruments to access an infected knee joint, wash out the joint, and drain infectious material. This service is commonly performed in a hospital or ambulatory surgery facility for septic arthritis. The operative record should identify the infection and describe the arthroscopic lavage and drainage performed; a diagnostic look alone does not describe this treatment.
Select this code when arthroscopy is the method used to surgically treat the knee infection, rather than when the primary service is synovectomy or another distinct knee procedure. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When related endoscopies are performed together, endoscopy family pricing applies. For bilateral surgery, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 29871
- 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
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU6.52 · 44%
- Practice expense (office) RVU6.84 · 46%
- Malpractice RVU1.35 · 9%
1.2K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2870 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.
29871 compared with similar codes
Office rates for New Jersey, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
29875 describes limited knee synovectomy. It is not the code for arthroscopic infection lavage and drainage.
No office rate
29876 describes major knee synovectomy. Distinguish extensive synovial removal from lavage and drainage performed to treat infection.
No office rate
27310 represents an open knee-joint approach for drainage or related work. Use 29871 when the infection is treated arthroscopically.
Compare 29871 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
Northern Nj →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$544.67
Rest Of New Jersey →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$525.43
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29871 billing questions
When should this be reported instead of diagnostic knee arthroscopy?
Report this code when the surgeon performs arthroscopic lavage and drainage to treat a knee infection. Diagnostic inspection without that therapeutic work is a different service.
Is synovectomy included in this code?
This code identifies arthroscopic treatment of infection by lavage and drainage, not synovectomy based on the extent of synovial removal. Document any distinct procedure performed and evaluate it under its own coding rules.
How is bilateral knee treatment handled?
CMS identifies this as a bilateral procedure; modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Document the work on both knees.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
What happens when related endoscopies are performed together?
CMS applies endoscopy family pricing when related endoscopies are performed together. The operative documentation should support each procedure reported.
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.
3,35129867,,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
3,35629874,,Arthrs knee surg rmv loos/fb,A,,7.01,6.72,NA,6.72,,1.42,15.15,15.15,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,0,0,0,9,29870,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,35729875,,Arthrs knee surg synvct lmtd,A,,6.29,6.60,NA,6.60,,1.31,14.20,14.20,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,0,0,0,9,29870,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00