No office rate
29882 covers repair of one meniscus, medial or lateral; 29883 is used when both menisci are repaired.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
29882 Meniscus repair Medicare reimbursement rates in Tennessee
Report this code when a surgeon repairs one medial or lateral knee meniscus arthroscopically, preserving a tear that is suitable for repair. Compare 29882 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Tennessee.
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 29882 in Tennessee?
Tennessee 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
$588.89
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Tennessee
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 29882: Arthroscopic repair of one knee meniscus
Report this code when a surgeon repairs one medial or lateral knee meniscus arthroscopically, preserving a tear that is suitable for repair.
An orthopedic surgeon uses a knee arthroscope and instruments passed through small incisions to repair a tear in either the medial or lateral meniscus. The procedure is commonly performed in a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center for a tear the surgeon considers suitable for repair rather than removal. The repair may use sutures or fixation devices to stabilize the meniscal tissue.
Choose this code when the operative report supports repair of one meniscus; it does not describe repair of both menisci. Document the side, compartment, tear, and repair performed so the service can be distinguished from meniscectomy. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When related endoscopies are performed together, endoscopy-family pricing applies. For a bilateral procedure, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 29882
- 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 RVU9.36 · 49%
- Practice expense (office) RVU8.00 · 42%
- Malpractice RVU1.86 · 10%
2.7K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2243 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.
29882 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Tennessee, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
29881 describes arthroscopic meniscal tissue removal in one compartment. Use 29882 when the meniscus is repaired instead.
No office rate
29880 describes arthroscopic meniscal tissue removal in both compartments, rather than repair of one meniscus.
No office rate
27403 describes open meniscus repair. 29882 is for repair performed arthroscopically.
Compare 29882 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
Tennessee →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$588.89
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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 29882 in Tennessee.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,363
- Code
- 29882
- Physician work
- 9.36
- Practice expense
- 8.00
- Malpractice
- 1.86
GPCI2026.csv
95
- Locality
- Tennessee
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.909
- Malpractice
- 0.537
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 9.36 | × 1.000 | 9.3600 |
| Practice expense | 8.00 | × 0.909 | 7.2720 |
| Malpractice | 1.86 | × 0.537 | 0.9988 |
| Total RVUs | 17.6308 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Tennessee$588.89
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 9.36 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 8 | 0.909 |
| Malpractice | 1.86 | 0.537 |
(9.36 × 1 + 8 × 0.909 + 1.86 × 0.537) × $33.4009 = $588.89
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.
29882 billing questions
When should I use 29882 instead of 29883?
Use 29882 for repair of either the medial or lateral meniscus. Use 29883 when the surgeon repairs both menisci.
How does 29882 differ from meniscectomy codes?
29882 represents repair that preserves the meniscal tissue. Codes 29880 and 29881 describe removal of meniscal tissue, not repair.
What documentation supports 29882?
The operative report should identify the repaired meniscus and compartment, describe the tear, and document the repair performed.
How is bilateral 29882 reported?
For a bilateral procedure, report modifier 50; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid for this procedure?
Medicare 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.
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.
3,36029879,,Arthrs kne srg abrasj arthrp,A,,8.77,8.07,NA,8.07,,1.82,18.66,18.66,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,0,0,0,9,29870,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,36129880,,Arthrs kne srg mnisectmy m&l,A,,7.21,7.28,NA,7.28,,1.47,15.96,15.96,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,0,1,0,9,29870,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,36229881,,Arthrs kne srg mnisectmy m/l,A,,6.85,7.19,NA,7.19,,1.40,15.44,15.44,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,0,0,0,9,29870,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,36329882,,Arthrs kne srg mnisc rpr m/l,A,,9.36,8.00,NA,8.00,,1.86,19.22,19.22,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,1,0,0,9,29870,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,36429883,,Arthrs kne srg mnisc rpr m&l,A,,11.48,9.64,NA,9.64,,2.41,23.53,23.53,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,0,0,0,9,29870,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,36529884,,Arthrs knee surg lysis ads,A,,8.07,7.82,NA,7.82,,1.66,17.55,17.55,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29870,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,36629885,,Arthrs kne srg drlg ost diss,A,,9.95,9.26,NA,9.26,,2.12,21.33,21.33,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29870,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9214412,RI,01,RHODE ISLAND,1.019,1.033,0.892
9311202,SC,01,SOUTH CAROLINA,1.000,0.924,0.850
9403402,SD,02,SOUTH DAKOTA**,1.000,1.000,0.336
9510312,TN,35,TENNESSEE,1.000,0.909,0.537
9604412,TX,31,AUSTIN,1.002,1.058,0.886
9704412,TX,20,BEAUMONT,1.000,0.910,0.929
9804412,TX,09,BRAZORIA,1.008,0.991,0.780