Orthopaedic Surgery in the ASC: CPT Codes and Coverage
Orthopaedic surgery covers operative treatment of bones, joints, ligaments, and tendons. In an ambulatory surgery center the focus is same-day procedures: knee and shoulder arthroscopy, soft-tissue and tendon repairs, fracture fixation, and a growing share of joint replacement that has moved from the hospital to outpatient settings.
Almost all of this work lives in the musculoskeletal CPT family, 20000 through 29999, with examples like arthroscopic meniscectomy (29881) and total knee arthroplasty (27447). We map 1634 ASC-relevant CPT codes to orthopaedic surgery. Whether a specific code suits the ASC setting depends on its ASC-eligibility status, worth confirming before scheduling. Confirming a code's current status before scheduling is part of clean orthopaedic billing.
Orthopaedic Surgery codes(1–60 of 1,634)
- 27447Total knee arthroplasty
- 27130Total hip arthroplasty
- 29881Arthrs kne srg mnisectmy m/l
- 29827Sho arthrs srg rt8tr cuf rpr
- 29888Arthrs aid acl rpr/agmntj
- 20100Expl pentrg wound neck
- 20101Expl pentrg wound chest
- 20102Expl pentrg wnd abd/flnk/bk
- 20103Expl pentrg wound extremity
- 20150Excision epiphyseal bar
- 20200Muscle biopsy superficial
- 20205Deep muscle biopsy
- 20206Biopsy muscle perq needle
- 20220Bone biopsy trocar/ndl supfc
- 20225Bone biopsy trocar/ndl deep
- 20240Bone biopsy open superficial
- 20245Bone biopsy open deep
- 20250Biopsy vrt bdy open thoracic
- 20251Biopsy vrt bdy open lmbr/crv
- 20500Njx sinus tract therapeutic
- 20501Njx sinus tract diagnostic
- 20520Rmvl fb musc/tdn simple
- 20525Rmvl fb musc/tdn deep/comp
- 20526Ther injection carp tunnel
- 20527Njx nzm palmar fascial cord
- 20550Njx 1 tendon sheath/ligament
- 20551Njx 1 tendon origin/insj
- 20552Njx 1/mlt trigger point 1/2
- 20553Njx 1/mlt trigger points 3/>
- 20555Place ndl musc/tis for rt
- 20600Drain/inj joint/bursa w/o us
- 20604Drain/inj joint/bursa w/us
- 20605Drain/inj joint/bursa w/o us
- 20606Drain/inj joint/bursa w/us
- 20610Drain/inj joint/bursa w/o us
- 20611Drain/inj joint/bursa w/us
- 20612Aspirate/inj ganglion cyst
- 20615Treatment of bone cyst
- 20650Insert and remove bone pin
- 20660Apply rem fixation device
- 20661Application halo cranial
- 20662Application halo pelvic
- 20663Application halo femoral
- 20664Appl halo cranial 6+pins
- 20665Rmvl tongs/halo anthr indiv
- 20670Removal implant superficial
- 20680Removal of implant deep
- 20690Appl unipln uni ext fixj sys
- 20692Appl mltpln uni ext fixj sys
- 20693Adjmt/revj ext fixj sys anes
- 20694Rmvl ext fixj sys under anes
- 20696App mltpln uni xtrnl fix 1st
- 20697App mltpln uni xtrnl fix xch
- 20700Mnl prep&insj dp rx dlvr dev
- 20802Replantation arm complete
- 20805Replant forearm complete
- 20808Replantation hand complete
- 20816Replantation digit complete
- 20822Replantation digit complete
- 20824Replantation thumb complete
Are orthopaedic procedures performed in an ASC?
Yes. Many orthopaedic procedures are well suited to the ambulatory setting because patients recover and go home the same day. Common examples include knee and shoulder arthroscopy, tendon and ligament repairs, fracture fixation, and hardware removal. Total joint replacement such as total knee arthroplasty (27447) has also increasingly moved to ASCs. Whether a specific code suits the ASC setting depends on its ASC-eligibility status, worth confirming before scheduling.
What CPT codes does orthopaedic surgery use?
Orthopaedic surgery codes sit almost entirely in the musculoskeletal range, CPT 20000-29999. This family includes fracture and dislocation treatment, soft-tissue and tendon repair, joint replacement such as 27130 (total hip arthroplasty), and arthroscopy codes in the 29800s like 29881 and 29827. We map 1634 ASC-relevant orthopaedic codes in our dataset, so the specific codes used vary widely by subspecialty and the joint or region being treated.
How do I know if an orthopaedic CPT code is covered in an ASC?
Check each code's ASC-eligibility status before scheduling. ASC-eligible codes can be performed in a certified ambulatory surgery center. Ancillary services support those procedures, while some codes are not typically performed in an ASC. Coverage and the procedure list change over time, so confirm the current status before scheduling. DataLily's procedure library tracks CPT-specific prior-authorization and documentation requirements alongside this coverage status.