No office rate
29826 represents arthroscopic subacromial decompression work, such as acromioplasty. This code represents resection at the AC joint.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
29824 Shoulder arthroscopy Medicare reimbursement rates in Vermont
Reports arthroscopic removal of the distal clavicle, commonly to treat symptomatic acromioclavicular joint arthritis after nonoperative care has not relieved symptoms. Compare 29824 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Vermont.
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 29824 in Vermont?
Vermont 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
$607.04
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Vermont
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 29824: Arthroscopic distal clavicle excision
Reports arthroscopic removal of the distal clavicle, commonly to treat symptomatic acromioclavicular joint arthritis after nonoperative care has not relieved symptoms.
An orthopedic surgeon uses an arthroscope and instruments through small shoulder incisions to remove the outer end of the clavicle at the acromioclavicular (AC) joint. This is commonly performed for painful AC joint arthritis or related distal clavicle pathology when surgery is indicated. The procedure is typically done in a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center, sometimes during the same session as another shoulder arthroscopy procedure.
Report the code when the operative work includes arthroscopic resection of the distal clavicle; the operative report should identify the AC joint pathology and document the resection performed. CMS assigns a 90-day major-surgery global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For bilateral procedures, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. When related endoscopies are performed together, endoscopy-family pricing applies. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 29824
- 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
- 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 RVU8.76 · 46%
- Practice expense (office) RVU8.61 · 45%
- Malpractice RVU1.76 · 9%
51.3K
Medicare services in 2024 · #772 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.
29824 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Vermont, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
29823 is for extensive arthroscopic debridement; it does not represent distal clavicle resection. Choose based on the documented work performed.
No office rate
29822 describes limited arthroscopic debridement, not removal of the distal clavicle. Debridement alone does not support this code.
No office rate
23120 is the open approach for partial clavicle removal. This code is for arthroscopic distal clavicle resection.
Compare 29824 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
Vermont →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$607.04
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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 29824 in Vermont.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,324
- Code
- 29824
- Physician work
- 8.76
- Practice expense
- 8.61
- Malpractice
- 1.76
GPCI2026.csv
105
- Locality
- Vermont
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.990
- Malpractice
- 0.506
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 8.76 | × 1.000 | 8.7600 |
| Practice expense | 8.61 | × 0.990 | 8.5239 |
| Malpractice | 1.76 | × 0.506 | 0.8906 |
| Total RVUs | 18.1745 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Vermont$607.04
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 8.76 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 8.61 | 0.99 |
| Malpractice | 1.76 | 0.506 |
(8.76 × 1 + 8.61 × 0.99 + 1.76 × 0.506) × $33.4009 = $607.04
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.
29824 billing questions
When should this code be chosen instead of 29826?
Use this code for arthroscopic resection of the distal clavicle at the AC joint. Code 29826 describes subacromial decompression work, such as acromioplasty, rather than distal clavicle resection.
Can distal clavicle excision be reported with rotator cuff repair?
The procedures may be performed during the same shoulder arthroscopy. Report each service supported by the operative work, and account for CMS endoscopy-family pricing when related endoscopies are performed together.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
The operative report should identify the AC joint condition and describe arthroscopic removal of the distal clavicle. A diagnosis of AC joint arthritis alone does not establish that the resection was performed.
How is a bilateral procedure reported?
CMS identifies this as a bilateral procedure; modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Document the work performed on each shoulder.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. Related follow-up care during that period is part of the surgical global service.
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.
3,32129821,,Sho arthrs srg compl synvct,A,,7.69,7.46,NA,7.46,,1.54,16.69,16.69,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29805,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,32229822,,Sho arthrs srg lmtd dbrdmt,A,,6.85,7.19,NA,7.19,,1.41,15.45,15.45,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,0,0,9,29805,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,32329823,,Sho arthrs srg xtnsv dbrdmt,A,,7.78,7.39,NA,7.39,,1.56,16.73,16.73,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29805,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,32429824,,Sho arthrs srg dstl claviclc,A,,8.76,8.61,NA,8.61,,1.76,19.13,19.13,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29805,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,32529825,,Sho arthrs srg lss&rescj ads,A,,7.60,7.45,NA,7.45,,1.52,16.57,16.57,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29805,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,32629826,,Sho arthrs srg decompression,A,,2.93,0.91,NA,0.91,,0.58,4.42,4.42,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,32729827,,Sho arthrs srg rt8tr cuf rpr,A,,15.20,10.98,NA,10.98,,3.05,29.23,29.23,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29805,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
10204412,TX,18,HOUSTON,1.008,0.993,1.376
10304412,TX,99,REST OF TEXAS,1.000,0.949,0.903
10403502,UT,09,UTAH,1.000,0.940,0.898
10514512,VT,50,VERMONT,1.000,0.990,0.506
10611302,VA,00,VIRGINIA,1.000,0.983,0.706
10709202,VI,50,VIRGIN ISLANDS,1.000,1.011,0.985
10802402,WA,02,SEATTLE (KING CNTY),1.050,1.227,0.817