Billing code 29851: Knee fracture repairMedicare rate & RVUs in Washington
Reports arthroscopically assisted operative repair of a knee intercondylar spine or tuberosity fracture when fixation or repair is performed.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 29851 in Washington.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 9 sections
What 29851 covers
Orthopedic surgeons use 29851 for arthroscopically assisted operative treatment of a fracture involving the knee’s intercondylar spine, also called the tibial eminence, and/or tibial tuberosity, when fixation or repair is performed. A familiar example is arthroscopic reduction and fixation of a displaced tibial spine avulsion. The service is typically performed in a hospital operating room or ambulatory surgery center; it is distinct from a diagnostic-only knee scope and from treatment of a tibial plateau fracture.
Report the service for the treated knee, supported by documentation of the fracture site and the arthroscopic reduction, fixation, or repair performed. Diagnostic arthroscopy of that knee is integral to the operative service. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. In a same-session multiple-procedure setting, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment and co-surgeons are permitted; team surgery is not.
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.
Where 29851 pays more and less in Washington
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Rest Of Washington | Unavailable | $863.32 |
| Seattle (King Cnty) | Unavailable | $943.26 |
How the 29851 rate is calculated
Each of 29851’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 29851
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work12.93
12.93 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense10.12
10.12 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice2.75
2.75 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
25.8000
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$861.74
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 29851
29851 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 29851
Knee fracture repair
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 2 | Permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.69/0.21 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 29851
Knee fracture repair
90-day global period ends
Dec 30, 2026
Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).
Visit on Oct 31, 2026
Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
29851 without 50 · national facility
$861.74
Knee fracture repair
29851-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$1,292.61
Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).
29851 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 29850Knee arthroscopy
- Choose 29851 when fixation or repair is performed for the spine or tuberosity fracture; 29850 is for treatment without internal fixation.
- 29855Tibial fracture repair
- 29855 addresses an arthroscopically treated unicondylar proximal tibial plateau fracture, rather than a knee spine or tuberosity fracture.
- 29856Knee fracture repair
- 29856 is for arthroscopically aided treatment of a bicondylar proximal tibial plateau fracture.
- 27535Tibial plateau fracture
- Use 27535 for open treatment of a unicondylar proximal tibial plateau fracture; 29851 is arthroscopically assisted treatment of a spine or tuberosity fracture.
29851 billing questions
How does 29851 differ from 29850?
Use 29851 when the arthroscopically assisted fracture treatment includes internal fixation or repair. Code 29850 describes the corresponding treatment without internal fixation.
Can diagnostic knee arthroscopy be billed separately?
Diagnostic arthroscopy of the same knee is integral to the operative fracture treatment and is not separately reported for that service.
Is the code reported per fracture fragment or per knee?
Report the operative service for the treated knee; the number of fragments or fixation devices does not create additional units.
What documentation supports 29851?
Document the fracture location and the arthroscopically assisted reduction, fixation, or repair performed. The record should distinguish a spine or tuberosity fracture from a tibial plateau fracture.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral treatment?
CMS identifies this as a bilateral procedure; bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
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