CPT · SURGERY

29881

Surgery (CPT® descriptor withheld: AMA licence required)

Reimbursement benchmark

RVU26D

Not priced

National benchmark · GPCI 1.000
Non-facility · Non-QP · per service

CMS marks this place of service as not applicable.. This code must not be treated as a zero-dollar payment.

Behind the number

Each RVU × its geographic practice cost index

Physician work6.850 RVU × 1.000 GPCI—

Practice expense7.190 RVU × 1.000 GPCI—

Malpractice1.400 RVU × 1.000 GPCI—

Conversion factorNon-QP schedule× 33.4009

Estimated fee schedule amountNot priced

Geography makes a difference

Same component, setting, and provider schedule across 109 localities

109 localities

Locality comparisons are unavailable for this component or service date.

Modifiers on this code

National · Facility (only payable setting)

Computed from the CMS payment policy indicators on this code's RVU row, priced in your current context. Where the fee schedule sets no percentage, the row says who decides.

Modifier	Effect	Amount	How it applies to 29881
25	Significant, separately identifiable E/M on the same day Not applicable	—	Modifier 25 belongs on the E/M code billed alongside this procedure, not on this code.
26	Professional component Not applicable	—	Physician service only: no professional/technical split exists (PC/TC indicator 0).
TC	Technical component Not applicable	—	Physician service only: no professional/technical split exists (PC/TC indicator 0).
50	Bilateral procedure Fee-schedule rule	$773.57	150% of the fee schedule amount when performed bilaterally (bilateral indicator 1).
51	Multiple procedures, same session Payer-determined	—	Endoscopy rule: paid at the full amount minus the base endoscopy when billed with another code in the same family (indicator 3).
59 / XE XS XP XU	Distinct procedural service No change	$515.71	Does not change the amount. It asks the payer to bypass an NCCI pair, which only works when that pair's modifier indicator is 1; hard-stop pairs (indicator 0) deny regardless. See the NCCI conflicts below.
80 / 81 / 82	Assistant surgeon Payer-determined	—	Payment restricted: an assistant is paid only with documentation of medical necessity (indicator 0).
62	Two surgeons (co-surgery) Not applicable	—	Co-surgeons are not permitted for this code (indicator 0).
66	Surgical team Not applicable	—	Team surgery is not permitted for this code (indicator 0).
95 / 93	Telehealth (audio-video / audio-only) No change	$515.71	The fee schedule amount does not change; whether the facility or non-facility rate applies depends on the place of service reported, and whether the service is on the Medicare telehealth list.
22	Increased procedural services Payer-determined	—	Carrier-priced. The schedule sets no percentage; the payer decides any increase from the documentation of substantially greater work.
52	Reduced services Payer-determined	—	Payer-determined reduction from the fee schedule amount; the schedule sets no percentage.
53	Discontinued procedure Payer-determined	—	Payer-determined; documentation must show the procedure was stopped for the patient's wellbeing.
76 / 77	Repeat procedure, same or other physician No change	$515.71	Each repeat is paid at the full fee schedule amount when the documentation supports a separate, medically necessary repeat.

Estimates before payer adjustments and cost sharing. A payer's own policy can differ from Medicare's; verify before billing.

Before this code goes on a claim

Denial prevention

Status indicator AActive and separately payable under the physician fee schedule.

70 hard-stop NCCI pairs0 pairs bundle this code into another code and 70 bundle other codes into it, with no modifier override (indicator 0). Billed together on the same date, the column-2 code denies.

215 pairs allow a modifier28 pairs where this is the bundled code and 187 where it is the primary can be unbundled with 59 or X{EPSU} when the documentation shows a distinct service (indicator 1). Check the claim before submission: this code is the one that denies in 28 active pairs.

Global period 09090-day global period. The day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included; unrelated visits need modifier 24 and staged or related procedures need 58.

Place of serviceCMS marks the non-facility setting as not applicable: this code is paid only when performed in a facility.

BilateralBill once with modifier 50, not twice, unless the payer's policy asks for RT/LT on two lines. Two lines without a modifier duplicate-deny.

Assistant surgeonAssistant-at-surgery claims need documentation of medical necessity or they deny.

Check a claim with this code Rates in every state and locality

Field data from billers

Unavailable

Field data is not available right now.

Structured answers only. No patient details, claim numbers or free text are collected.

Code intelligence

CPT

Payment statusActive

Global period090

PC/TC indicator0

Multiple procedure indicator3

Bilateral surgery indicator1

Assistant surgery indicator0

Raw CMS indicators. Read the release documentation before interpreting a payment policy indicator.

CMS release documentation

PUT THE DATA TO WORK

From a rate to an informed decision.

Understand the RVUs, compare a second code, or evaluate an observed allowed amount.

Analyze a payment
Compare this code

RVU-based Medicare benchmark, before payer adjustments, OPPS caps, sequestration, and patient cost sharing. An estimate, not a payment guarantee.