CPT 29881 · Arthroscopy — Knee
Knee Arthroscopy — Meniscectomy (Medial OR Lateral)
Knee Arthroscopy — Meniscectomy (Medial OR Lateral) (29881) — 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 29881 (Knee Arthroscopy — Meniscectomy (Medial OR Lateral)) across 44 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 29881
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 |
| Ambetter | Covered | Prior auth |
| Anthem BCBS | Covered | Prior auth |
| BCBS Alabama | Covered | Prior auth |
| BCBS FEP | Covered | Prior auth |
| BCBS Federal Employee Program | Covered | Prior auth |
| BCBS Illinois | Covered | Prior auth |
| BCBS Massachusetts | Covered | Prior auth |
| BCBS Michigan | Covered | Prior auth |
| BCBS Montana | Covered | Prior auth |
| BCBS New Mexico | Covered | Prior auth |
Coverage themes for CPT 29881
Common patterns across the 44 payors we track. Specific criteria per payor are available after sign-in.
Most payors require ≥6 weeks of conservative care before approving 29881.
37 of 44 payors require imaging concordance documentation.
Of the 44 payors with coverage records for CPT 29881, 37 require prior authorization, 7 cover without prior authorization, and 0 flag the procedure as investigational or experimental under current criteria.
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