No office rate
29894 is for arthroscopic extraction of a loose or foreign body. 29897 describes limited ankle-joint debridement.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
29894 Ankle arthroscopy Medicare reimbursement rates in Tennessee
Reports ankle arthroscopy to remove a loose body or foreign material from the ankle joint, such as a mobile osteochondral fragment after injury. Compare 29894 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 29894 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
$438.62
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 29894: Ankle arthroscopic loose-body removal
Reports ankle arthroscopy to remove a loose body or foreign material from the ankle joint, such as a mobile osteochondral fragment after injury.
An orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon uses an arthroscope and instruments through small portals to locate and remove a loose body or foreign material from the ankle joint. A common clinical situation is a mobile osteochondral fragment following an ankle injury that causes catching or limits motion. The procedure is typically performed in a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center.
Report 29894 when removal of the loose or foreign body is the operative service; the operative report should identify the ankle joint, the material removed, and the arthroscopic work. The code has a 90-day global period, including 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 may be available; co-surgeons require supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 29894
- 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 may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU7.17 · 50%
- Practice expense (office) RVU5.85 · 41%
- Malpractice RVU1.20 · 8%
218
Medicare services in 2024 · #4251 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.
29894 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Tennessee, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Choose 29898 for extensive ankle-joint debridement; choose 29894 when the operative service is removal of a loose or foreign body.
No office rate
29891 treats an osteochondral defect with excision and drilling. 29894 removes a loose body or foreign material rather than treating the defect itself.
Compare 29894 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
$438.62
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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 29894 in Tennessee.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,374
- Code
- 29894
- Physician work
- 7.17
- Practice expense
- 5.85
- Malpractice
- 1.20
GPCI2026.csv
95
- Locality
- Tennessee
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.909
- Malpractice
- 0.537
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 7.17 | × 1.000 | 7.1700 |
| Practice expense | 5.85 | × 0.909 | 5.3176 |
| Malpractice | 1.20 | × 0.537 | 0.6444 |
| Total RVUs | 13.1320 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Tennessee$438.62
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 7.17 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 5.85 | 0.909 |
| Malpractice | 1.2 | 0.537 |
(7.17 × 1 + 5.85 × 0.909 + 1.2 × 0.537) × $33.4009 = $438.62
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.
29894 billing questions
When should 29894 be selected instead of ankle debridement?
Use 29894 when the arthroscopic work removes a loose body or foreign material. Debridement codes describe removal of tissue or other debridement work, not simply extraction of a loose object.
Does 29894 include the arthroscopic approach?
Yes. The code represents arthroscopic removal, including the scope-based work needed to locate and extract the loose or foreign body.
What documentation supports 29894?
Document the ankle joint treated, the presence and location of the loose or foreign body, and its arthroscopic removal. An operative description should distinguish the removed body from debridement or treatment of an osteochondral lesion.
How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative billing?
The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period. The code is subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction when other procedures are performed in the same session.
Can 29894 be reported bilaterally?
CMS lists bilateral reporting with modifier 50, paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation.
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.
3,37129891,,Arthr ank ostchn df tal&/tib,A,,9.43,7.98,NA,7.98,,1.57,18.98,18.98,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,37229892,,Arthrs aid rpr od les/tib fx,A,,10.01,6.62,NA,6.62,,1.26,17.89,17.89,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,37329893,,Endoscopic plantr fasciotomy,A,,6.16,13.20,,5.79,,0.56,19.92,12.51,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,37429894,,Ankle arthroscopy/surgery,A,,7.17,5.85,NA,5.85,,1.20,14.22,14.22,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,37529895,,Ankle arthroscopy/surgery,A,,6.95,5.04,NA,5.04,,0.99,12.98,12.98,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,37629897,,Ankle arthroscopy/surgery,A,,7.14,5.62,NA,5.62,,1.16,13.92,13.92,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,37729898,,Ankle arthroscopy/surgery,A,,8.28,6.14,NA,6.14,,1.26,15.68,15.68,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,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