No office rate
Use 29900 for diagnostic MCP arthroscopy, with or without synovial biopsy. Use 29902 when the surgeon performs arthroscopic removal of a loose or foreign body.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
29902 MCP arthroscopy Medicare reimbursement rates in Tennessee
Arthroscopic removal of a loose or foreign body from a metacarpophalangeal joint, reported when the surgeon performs therapeutic MCP arthroscopy. Compare 29902 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 29902 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
$505.00
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.
Hand surgery
About 29902: MCP arthroscopy with loose-body removal
Arthroscopic removal of a loose or foreign body from a metacarpophalangeal joint, reported when the surgeon performs therapeutic MCP arthroscopy.
A hand surgeon uses an arthroscope and instruments through small portals to remove a loose body or foreign body from a metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint—the knuckle joint between a finger and the hand. The procedure may be performed in a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center when a joint body is being treated arthroscopically, such as after an injury or with joint disease. The operative service is therapeutic, not a diagnostic-only inspection.
Choose this code when the operative report supports arthroscopic removal of a loose or foreign body from the MCP joint; document the joint, the body treated, and the arthroscopic work performed. CMS assigns 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 requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 29902
- 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 RVU6.98 · 42%
- Practice expense (office) RVU8.08 · 49%
- Malpractice RVU1.48 · 9%
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.
29902 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Tennessee, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
29901 describes MCP arthroscopy with synovectomy. 29902 describes arthroscopic removal of a loose or foreign body from the MCP joint.
29999
No office rateUnlisted px arthroscopy
29999 is an unlisted arthroscopy code for a procedure without a specific code. Use 29902 when the documented MCP service is arthroscopic loose- or foreign-body removal.
Compare 29902 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
$505.00
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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 29902 in Tennessee.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,381
- Code
- 29902
- Physician work
- 6.98
- Practice expense
- 8.08
- Malpractice
- 1.48
GPCI2026.csv
95
- Locality
- Tennessee
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.909
- Malpractice
- 0.537
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 6.98 | × 1.000 | 6.9800 |
| Practice expense | 8.08 | × 0.909 | 7.3447 |
| Malpractice | 1.48 | × 0.537 | 0.7948 |
| Total RVUs | 15.1195 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Tennessee$505.00
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 6.98 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 8.08 | 0.909 |
| Malpractice | 1.48 | 0.537 |
(6.98 × 1 + 8.08 × 0.909 + 1.48 × 0.537) × $33.4009 = $505.00
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.
29902 billing questions
How does this differ from 29901?
29902 is for arthroscopic removal of a loose or foreign body from an MCP joint. 29901 describes MCP arthroscopy with synovectomy.
Can 29900 be reported for the diagnostic inspection?
29900 describes diagnostic MCP arthroscopy. Diagnostic inspection is part of the therapeutic arthroscopy when 29902 is performed, rather than a separate diagnostic service for the same procedure.
What should the operative note document?
Identify the MCP joint, the loose or foreign body addressed, and the arthroscopic removal performed. The documentation should support therapeutic work rather than diagnostic inspection alone.
How is bilateral MCP arthroscopy reported?
CMS lists bilateral reporting with modifier 50, paid at 150%. The operative documentation should support treatment of both sides.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
When is assistant-at-surgery payment allowed?
CMS allows assistant-at-surgery payment only when medical necessity is documented. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
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.
3,37829899,,Ankle arthroscopy/surgery,A,,15.02,9.86,NA,9.86,,2.70,27.58,27.58,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,37929900,,Mcp joint arthroscopy dx,A,,5.73,7.83,NA,7.83,,1.23,14.79,14.79,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,38029901,,Mcp joint arthroscopy surg,A,,6.43,7.90,NA,7.90,,1.35,15.68,15.68,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,38129902,,Mcp joint arthroscopy surg,A,,6.98,8.08,NA,8.08,,1.48,16.54,16.54,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,38229904,,Subtalar arthro w/fb rmvl,A,,8.43,7.82,NA,7.82,,1.78,18.03,18.03,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,38329905,,Subtalar arthro w/exc,A,,8.95,4.57,NA,4.57,,0.78,14.30,14.30,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,38429906,,Subtalar arthro w/deb,A,,9.41,7.74,NA,7.74,,1.59,18.74,18.74,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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