🩺
1500 Claim BillingBETA
Sign In

29881 CPT Code: Arthroscopic Medial/Lateral Meniscectomy

Last Updated: December 6, 2025

Medical Coding Assistant

Select a tool below to quickly look up rules or auto-code clinical notes.

CPT 29881 (Arthroscopy, knee, surgical; with meniscectomy, medial OR lateral) is one of the most common sports medicine procedures billed.

TL;DR Quick Answer

Short on time? Don't want to read the whole guide? Ask our AI your specific billing question and get an instant answer.

29881 vs 29880

The code selection depends entirely on the compartments involved:

  • 29881: The surgeon repairs ONLY the medial meniscus OR ONLY the lateral meniscus.
  • 29880: The surgeon repairs BOTH the medial AND lateral meniscus during the same session.

Compare CPT Codes

Confused between with vs. without contrast? Look up the official code descriptions.

Medical Necessity & Chondroplasty

Code 29881 inherently includes chondroplasty (29877) if performed in the same compartment. Do not bill 29877 separately. If chondroplasty is performed in a completely separate compartment, you can bill it using the G-code G0289 for Medicare.

Verify Medical Necessity

Don't risk a denial. See if your ICD-10 code is on the approved Medicare LCD list.

NCCI Edits

As always with surgical scopes, the diagnostic scope (29870) is bundled and cannot be billed.

Check NCCI Edits Instantly

Not sure if these codes bundle? Check the latest Medicare NCCI database updates before you bill.

Tired of dealing with rejected claims?

Use our modern CMS-1500 software to instantly validate NPIs, CPT codes, and ICD-10 formatting. It's completely free to start.

Create Your Free Account

Related Articles