Orthopedic Sports Medicine in the ASC: Arthroscopy CPT Codes
Orthopedic sports medicine covers the diagnosis and surgical repair of joint, ligament, tendon, and cartilage injuries, much of it done arthroscopically and well suited to the ambulatory surgery center setting. The core CPT family is the arthroscopy range, 29800 through 29889, spanning diagnostic and surgical arthroscopy across the knee, shoulder, and other joints. Common examples include 29881 (knee arthroscopy with medial or lateral meniscectomy) and 29827 (shoulder arthroscopy with rotator cuff repair).
Whether Medicare pays a code in an ASC depends on the CMS ASC addenda. Codes on Addendum AA are on the ASC Covered Procedures List, meaning Medicare pays them in an ASC, while Addendum EE lists codes excluded from ASC payment. The individual code pages linked from this hub indicate where each procedure falls.
Ortho – Sports Medicine codes(57)
- 29881Arthrs kne srg mnisectmy m/l
- 29827Sho arthrs srg rt8tr cuf rpr
- 29806Sho arthrs srg capsulorraphy
- 29888Arthrs aid acl rpr/agmntj
- 29800Jaw arthroscopy/surgery
- 29804Jaw arthroscopy/surgery
- 29805Sho arthrs dx +- synovial bx
- 29807Sho arthrs srg rpr slap les
- 29819Sho arthrs srg rmvl loose/fb
- 29820Sho arthrs srg prtl synvct
- 29821Sho arthrs srg compl synvct
- 29822Sho arthrs srg lmtd dbrdmt
- 29823Sho arthrs srg xtnsv dbrdmt
- 29824Sho arthrs srg dstl claviclc
- 29825Sho arthrs srg lss&rescj ads
- 29826Sho arthrs srg decompression
- 29828Sho arthrs srg bicp tenodsis
- 29830Elbow arthroscopy
- 29834Elbow arthroscopy/surgery
- 29835Elbow arthroscopy/surgery
- 29836Elbow arthroscopy/surgery
- 29837Elbow arthroscopy/surgery
- 29838Elbow arthroscopy/surgery
- 29840Wrist arthroscopy
- 29843Wrist arthroscopy/surgery
- 29844Wrist arthroscopy/surgery
- 29845Wrist arthroscopy/surgery
- 29846Wrist arthroscopy/surgery
- 29847Wrist arthroscopy/surgery
- 29848Wrist endoscopy/surgery
- 29850Knee arthroscopy/surgery
- 29851Knee arthroscopy/surgery
- 29855Tibial arthroscopy/surgery
- 29856Tibial arthroscopy/surgery
- 29860Hip arthroscopy dx
- 29861Hip arthro w/fb removal
- 29862Hip arthr0 w/debridement
- 29863Hip arthr0 w/synovectomy
- 29866Autgrft implnt knee w/scope
- 29867Allgrft implnt knee w/scope
- 29868Meniscal trnspl knee w/scpe
- 29870Arthrs knee dx w/wo syn bx
- 29871Arthrs knee surg for infctj
- 29873Arthrs knee surg w/lat rls
- 29874Arthrs knee surg rmv loos/fb
- 29875Arthrs knee surg synvct lmtd
- 29876Arthrs knee surg synvct maj
- 29877Arthrs knee surg dbrdmt/shvg
- 29879Arthrs kne srg abrasj arthrp
- 29880Arthrs kne srg mnisectmy m&l
- 29882Arthrs kne srg mnisc rpr m/l
- 29883Arthrs kne srg mnisc rpr m&l
- 29884Arthrs knee surg lysis ads
- 29885Arthrs kne srg drlg ost diss
- 29886Arthrs knee surg drlg od les
- 29887Arthrs knee srg drlg od fixj
- 29889Arthrs aid pcl rpr/agmntj
Are orthopedic sports medicine procedures done in an ASC?
Yes. Many arthroscopic sports medicine procedures are commonly performed as same-day surgery in an ambulatory surgery center. Whether Medicare pays a specific code in the ASC depends on the CMS ASC addenda, with Addendum AA codes being on the ASC Covered Procedures List and Addendum EE codes excluded from ASC payment. ASC facility claims use place of service 24.
What CPT codes does orthopedic sports medicine use?
The primary family is arthroscopy, CPT 29800 through 29889. This includes procedures such as 29881 (knee arthroscopy with medial or lateral meniscectomy), 29827 (shoulder arthroscopy with rotator cuff repair), and 29888 (arthroscopically aided ACL repair or reconstruction). We have 57 ASC-relevant codes mapped to this specialty, each with its own detail page.
What does place of service 24 mean for these claims?
Place of service 24 identifies an ambulatory surgery center on a claim. When a sports medicine arthroscopy is performed in an ASC, the facility component is reported with POS 24. This distinguishes ASC cases from procedures done in a hospital outpatient department or an office, which use different place-of-service codes.