Billing code 29867: Knee allograftMedicare rate & RVUs in Ohio
Arthroscopic placement of donor osteochondral tissue treats a focal knee cartilage-and-bone defect when restoration with an allograft is performed.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 29867 in Ohio.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 9 sections
What 29867 covers
An orthopedic surgeon uses knee arthroscopy to prepare a focal defect in the joint surface and place donor osteochondral tissue, restoring both cartilage and supporting bone. This approach may be selected for a contained cartilage-and-bone lesion when an allograft is used instead of tissue harvested from the patient. The procedure is generally performed in a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center; 2024 Medicare claims show facility reporting for this code.
Report 29867 for arthroscopic implantation of osteochondral allograft, not meniscal transplantation or use of the patient’s own osteochondral tissue. The operative report should identify the treated defect, arthroscopic approach, implantation, and graft source. The 90-day global period includes 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 payment requires documentation of medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
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.
29867 in Ohio
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | Unavailable | $1,140.42 |
How the 29867 rate is calculated
Each of 29867’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 29867
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work17.93
17.93 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense13.53
13.53 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice3.83
3.83 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
35.2900
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$1,178.72
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 29867
29867 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 29867
Knee allograft
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.69/0.21 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 29867
Knee allograft
90-day global period ends
Dec 30, 2026
Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).
Visit on Oct 31, 2026
Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
29867 without 50 · national facility
$1,178.72
Knee allograft
29867-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$1,768.08
Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).
29867 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 29866Cartilage restoration
- Choose 29867 for donor osteochondral tissue; 29866 is for osteochondral tissue harvested from the patient.
- 27415Knee allograft
- Both address knee osteochondral defects with an allograft, but 27415 is the open procedure; 29867 is arthroscopic.
- 29868Meniscal transplant
- 29868 is for meniscal allograft transplantation. 29867 addresses an osteochondral defect, not replacement of meniscal tissue.
- 29877Knee chondroplasty
- 29877 reports arthroscopic chondroplasty; 29867 is used when osteochondral allograft tissue is implanted.
29867 billing questions
How does 29867 differ from 29866?
29867 is for an osteochondral allograft from a donor. Use 29866 when the osteochondral tissue is harvested from the patient.
Is this code for a meniscal allograft transplant?
No. This code concerns osteochondral tissue used to address a cartilage-and-bone defect. Meniscal transplantation is a different procedure, reported with 29868.
What should the operative report support?
Document the knee defect and its location, the arthroscopic approach, implantation of osteochondral tissue, and whether the graft is donor tissue.
What care falls within the global period?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
How are bilateral cases and other same-session procedures paid?
Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued is paid in full and the others at 50%.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
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