No office rate
Both report elbow arthroscopic debridement, but 29838 is for extensive work. The operative report should support the extent selected.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
29837 Elbow arthroscopy Medicare reimbursement rates in Virginia
Reports arthroscopic cleanup of a limited area of damaged tissue in the elbow when the surgeon performs therapeutic debridement rather than synovectomy or loose-body removal. Compare 29837 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 29837 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
$488.54–$565.45
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.
Orthopedic surgery
About 29837: Elbow arthroscopic limited debridement
Reports arthroscopic cleanup of a limited area of damaged tissue in the elbow when the surgeon performs therapeutic debridement rather than synovectomy or loose-body removal.
An orthopedic surgeon uses an arthroscope and instruments through small portals to remove a limited amount of damaged tissue from inside the elbow joint. The work may address a focal area of unstable articular cartilage or synovial tissue. This is a therapeutic procedure, commonly performed in an operating room or ambulatory surgery center for a patient with symptomatic elbow-joint pathology; it is distinct from simply inspecting the joint or removing a loose body.
Select this code when the operative report supports limited debridement, rather than extensive debridement or a separately defined procedure such as synovectomy. Document the treated tissue, location, and extent of work. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When related endoscopies are performed together, endoscopy family pricing applies. For bilateral procedures, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 29837
- 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 RVU6.83 · 45%
- Practice expense (office) RVU6.89 · 45%
- Malpractice RVU1.45 · 10%
111
Medicare services in 2024 · #4795 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.
29837 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Virginia, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
29834 reports removal of a loose or foreign body; 29837 reports limited debridement of tissue.
No office rate
29835 is for partial synovectomy. Choose 29837 when the work is limited debridement rather than removal of synovium as a synovectomy.
No office rate
29836 reports complete synovectomy. It is not the code for limited debridement of other elbow-joint tissue.
Compare 29837 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
$565.45
Virginia →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$488.54
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29837 billing questions
How does limited debridement differ from extensive debridement?
Use 29837 for limited debridement and 29838 for extensive debridement. The operative report should describe the tissue treated and the extent of the work.
When is 29834 a better choice?
29834 describes arthroscopic removal of a loose or foreign body. Use 29837 for limited tissue debridement, not simply because fragments are present.
Can diagnostic elbow arthroscopy be reported separately?
Diagnostic inspection performed as part of the surgical arthroscopy is included in the operative service. Code 29830 is for diagnostic arthroscopy when no therapeutic arthroscopic procedure is performed.
How should bilateral elbow procedures be reported?
For a bilateral procedure, report modifier 50; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeons are paid only with supporting documentation; team surgery is 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.
3,33029834,,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
3,33329837,,Elbow arthroscopy/surgery,A,,6.83,6.89,NA,6.89,,1.45,15.17,15.17,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29830,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,33429838,,Elbow arthroscopy/surgery,A,,7.68,7.50,NA,7.50,,1.54,16.72,16.72,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,0,0,0,9,29830,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,33529840,,Wrist arthroscopy,A,,5.54,6.48,NA,6.48,,1.19,13.21,13.21,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,33629843,,Wrist arthroscopy/surgery,A,,6.00,6.78,NA,6.78,,1.28,14.06,14.06,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29840,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00