No office rate
Use 29830 for diagnostic elbow inspection, with or without synovial biopsy. Use 29834 when the surgeon arthroscopically removes a loose or foreign body from the elbow.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
29830 Elbow arthroscopy Medicare reimbursement rates in Virginia
Diagnostic elbow arthroscopy evaluates the joint, with optional synovial biopsy, when no separate therapeutic arthroscopic procedure is performed. Compare 29830 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Virginia.
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 29830 in Virginia?
Virginia has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$423.63–$491.00
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
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.
Arthroscopy
About 29830: Diagnostic elbow arthroscopy
Diagnostic elbow arthroscopy evaluates the joint, with optional synovial biopsy, when no separate therapeutic arthroscopic procedure is performed.
An orthopedic surgeon uses an arthroscope to inspect the elbow joint and assess intra-articular structures. The examination may include a synovial biopsy when tissue sampling is needed to investigate suspected joint disease. It is typically performed in an operating room or other surgical facility for patients whose elbow symptoms or suspected pathology require direct visualization after evaluation by less invasive means.
Report this code for the diagnostic examination, not as an additional service for the inspection that accompanies arthroscopic treatment in the same elbow. The operative report should identify the side, findings, and any biopsy performed. This major surgery has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, the highest-valued is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%. For bilateral reporting with modifier 50, payment is 150%. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 29830
- 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
- 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 RVU5.73 · 44%
- Practice expense (office) RVU6.19 · 47%
- Malpractice RVU1.23 · 9%
66
Medicare services in 2024 · #5179 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.
29830 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Virginia, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
29830 describes diagnostic examination; 29835 describes partial synovectomy. Choose 29835 when synovial tissue is surgically removed, rather than merely inspected or sampled.
No office rate
Both are diagnostic arthroscopy codes, but 29830 applies to the elbow and 29840 to the wrist.
Compare 29830 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Dc + Md/Va Suburbs →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$491.00
Virginia →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$423.63
Need rates for a whole code list?
Fee-sheet and API access are in early access. Tell us which codes and locations your team needs.
29830 billing questions
When should this be reported instead of an elbow arthroscopy treatment code?
Report 29830 for diagnostic inspection, with or without synovial biopsy, when no separate therapeutic arthroscopic procedure is performed. Use the code for the specific treatment when the surgeon performs arthroscopic treatment in that elbow.
Can diagnostic inspection be billed separately when treatment is performed?
The inspection used to identify pathology is generally part of the arthroscopic treatment performed in the same elbow. Do not separately report 29830 for that diagnostic look.
What documentation supports 29830?
Document the side, reason for direct joint inspection, structures and findings assessed, and whether a synovial biopsy was obtained. The operative note should distinguish diagnostic inspection from any treatment performed.
How is bilateral elbow arthroscopy reported?
For a bilateral procedure, report modifier 50; CMS pays the service at 150%.
What payment rules apply when other procedures are performed in the same session?
Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%. The code has a 90-day global period, and Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery.
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.
3,32629826,,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
3,32829828,,Sho arthrs srg bicp tenodsis,A,,12.83,9.85,NA,9.85,,2.58,25.26,25.26,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29805,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,32929830,,Elbow arthroscopy,A,,5.73,6.19,NA,6.19,,1.23,13.15,13.15,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,33029834,,Elbow arthroscopy/surgery,A,,6.26,6.51,NA,6.51,,1.26,14.03,14.03,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29830,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,33129835,,Elbow arthroscopy/surgery,A,,6.45,6.77,NA,6.77,,1.36,14.58,14.58,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29830,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,33229836,,Elbow arthroscopy/surgery,A,,7.53,7.43,NA,7.43,,1.45,16.41,16.41,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29830,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00