CPT 29826 · Arthroscopy — Shoulder
Shoulder Arthroscopy — Subacromial Decompression / Acromioplasty
Shoulder Arthroscopy — Subacromial Decompression / Acromioplasty (29826) — payor coverage and prior-authorization requirements across all Medicare MACs, commercial payors, BCBS plans, and Medicaid programs tracked by Rubrica.
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Rubrica tracks payor coverage for CPT 29826 (Shoulder Arthroscopy — Subacromial Decompression / Acromioplasty) across 17 payors — every Medicare MAC, the major commercial plans, the BCBS family, all 50-state Medicaid programs, and selected workers' comp and auto/PIP carriers. Aggregate coverage patterns are shown below; full payor-specific criteria, source citations, and last-reviewed dates are available to signed-in practitioners.
Top payors covering CPT 29826
Sample of 12 payors with coverage for this code. Sign in for the complete payor list, verbatim criteria, denial-risk score, and source citations for each.
| Payor | Coverage | Prior auth |
|---|---|---|
| Aetna | Covered | Prior auth |
| Aetna Medicare Advantage | Covered | Prior auth |
| Cigna | Covered | Prior auth |
| Cigna Medicare / HealthSpring | Covered | Prior auth |
| Humana | Covered | Prior auth |
| Humana Medicare Advantage | Covered | Prior auth |
| Medicare (CGS MAC) | Covered | Prior auth |
| Medicare (FCSO MAC) | Covered | Prior auth |
| Medicare (NGS MAC) | Covered | Prior auth |
| Medicare (Noridian JF MAC) | Covered | Prior auth |
| Medicare (Novitas MAC) | Covered | Prior auth |
| Medicare (Palmetto GBA MAC) | Covered | Prior auth |
Coverage themes for CPT 29826
Common patterns across the 17 payors we track. Specific criteria per payor are available after sign-in.
Most payors require ≥12 weeks of conservative care before approving 29826.
14 of 17 payors require imaging concordance documentation.
Of the 17 payors with coverage records for CPT 29826, 7 require prior authorization, 10 cover without prior authorization, and 0 flag the procedure as investigational or experimental under current criteria.
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