Arthroscopy, knee, surgical; for infection, loose or foreign body

CPT 29871 is the billing code for "Arthroscopy, knee, surgical; for infection, loose or foreign body". For surgical knee arthroscopy for infection, loose or foreign body

Medicare pays approximately $513.34 for CPT 29871 (national average). Actual payment varies by geographic location due to GPCI adjustments. Hospital and commercial insurance rates are typically 2-4x higher than Medicare rates.

CPT 29871 has a total RVU of 24.35, broken down as: Work RVU 10.50, Practice Expense RVU 12.80, and Malpractice RVU 1.05. RVUs (Relative Value Units) determine Medicare reimbursement rates.

Key documentation requirements for CPT 29871 include: Indication for surgical arthroscopy; Findings including infection or foreign body; Debridement technique; Irrigation performed. Missing or incomplete documentation is a leading cause of claim denials for this code.

Bundling considerations for CPT 29871: Includes surgical arthroscopy. Includes debridement Use an NCCI bundling checker to verify specific code combinations before billing.

Common modifiers for CPT 29871 include: 50 (Bilateral procedure when both knees performed same session), 51 (Multiple procedures performed same session), 22 (Increased procedural services for extensive debridement). Modifiers indicate special circumstances and can affect reimbursement or prevent claim denials.

The typical time requirement for CPT 29871 is 45-75 minutes typical operative time. Time-based codes require documentation of the actual time spent providing the service.