CPT 29826 is a keyhole shoulder operation in which the surgeon shaves bone and tissue under the acromion to relieve impingement. It is nearly always done together with other shoulder work, such as a rotator cuff repair (29827), and is technically an add-on code, so a hospital's price for 29826 alone rarely reflects the whole operation.
What the price covers
The hospital's facility fee for the operating room, arthroscopy equipment, nursing, supplies and recovery, for this component. The surgeon, anesthesia provider and any implants used in a combined repair bill separately. Expect the total for a shoulder arthroscopy visit to be considerably more than this single code.
Why prices vary
Orthopedic surgery has some of the widest price spreads in hospital files. Ambulatory surgery centers, often physician-owned, are usually much cheaper than hospital outpatient departments for the same arthroscopy. Within hospitals, large systems list the highest charges.
Questions to ask
- Which codes will be billed for my operation, and what is the self-pay price for all of them together?
- What do the surgeon and anesthesia charge?
- Could the same surgeon do it at an ambulatory surgery center?