No office rate
This code addresses the anterior cruciate ligament. Use 29889 for arthroscopically assisted treatment of the posterior cruciate ligament.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
29888 ACL surgery Medicare reimbursement rates in Vermont
Reports arthroscopically assisted repair, augmentation, or reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament, typically for knee instability after an ACL injury. Compare 29888 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 29888 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
$840.93
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 29888: Arthroscopic ACL repair or reconstruction
Reports arthroscopically assisted repair, augmentation, or reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament, typically for knee instability after an ACL injury.
An orthopedic surgeon uses arthroscopic visualization to repair, augment, or reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligament, commonly to address instability after an ACL tear. Reconstruction often uses a tendon graft, with the procedure performed in an operating room in a hospital or ambulatory surgery center. The operative report should identify the ACL procedure and describe the work performed; a diagnostic arthroscopy or treatment limited to a meniscal tear is not this service.
Report the code for the arthroscopically assisted ACL procedure, with documentation supporting the ligament treated and the operative technique. It has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. In a session with multiple procedures, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. For bilateral performance, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons are paid only with supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 29888
- 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 RVU13.94 · 52%
- Practice expense (office) RVU9.95 · 37%
- Malpractice RVU2.74 · 10%
1.7K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2594 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.
29888 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Vermont, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Code 29882 reports arthroscopic repair of a meniscus, not ACL treatment. A separately treated meniscal tear can be documented alongside an ACL procedure.
No office rate
Code 29883 is for arthroscopic repair of both the medial and lateral menisci. It does not describe ACL repair or reconstruction.
Compare 29888 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
$840.93
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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 29888 in Vermont.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,369
- Code
- 29888
- Physician work
- 13.94
- Practice expense
- 9.95
- Malpractice
- 2.74
GPCI2026.csv
105
- Locality
- Vermont
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.990
- Malpractice
- 0.506
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 13.94 | × 1.000 | 13.9400 |
| Practice expense | 9.95 | × 0.990 | 9.8505 |
| Malpractice | 2.74 | × 0.506 | 1.3864 |
| Total RVUs | 25.1769 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Vermont$840.93
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 13.94 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 9.95 | 0.99 |
| Malpractice | 2.74 | 0.506 |
(13.94 × 1 + 9.95 × 0.99 + 2.74 × 0.506) × $33.4009 = $840.93
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.
29888 billing questions
How does this differ from code 29889?
Code 29888 is for arthroscopically assisted ACL treatment; 29889 is for the posterior cruciate ligament. The operative report should identify which ligament was treated.
Can a meniscal procedure be reported during the same session?
A distinct meniscal repair or meniscectomy may be performed with ACL surgery. Document the separate meniscal work; same-session procedures are subject to the multiple-procedure payment rule.
Does the 90-day global include routine postoperative care?
Yes. The global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeons are paid only when supporting documentation is provided; team surgery is not permitted.
How is bilateral ACL surgery handled?
For bilateral performance, modifier 50 is paid at 150% under the CMS rule supplied for this code.
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.
3,36629885,,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
3,36729886,,Arthrs knee surg drlg od les,A,,8.28,8.07,NA,8.07,,1.76,18.11,18.11,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,1,0,0,9,29870,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,36829887,,Arthrs knee srg drlg od fixj,A,,9.91,9.25,NA,9.25,,2.11,21.27,21.27,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29870,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,36929888,,Arthrs aid acl rpr/agmntj,A,,13.94,9.95,NA,9.95,,2.74,26.63,26.63,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,37029889,,Arthrs aid pcl rpr/agmntj,A,,16.97,13.32,NA,13.32,,3.61,33.90,33.90,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,37129891,,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
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