Cost analysis for CPT 29848 — Release of wrist ligament using an endoscope
Average Medicare Payment
$422.10
2023 data
Total Payments (2023)
$24.2M
Services (2023)
56.0K
Price Change (2014–2023)
-20.7%
| Year | Avg Payment | Total Payments | Services | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $532.46 | $20.1M | 35.9K | — |
| 2015 | $532.16 | $21.1M | 37.9K | -0.1% |
| 2016 | $442.59 | $19.1M | 41.9K | -16.8% |
| 2017 | $410.87 | $18.2M | 44.0K | -7.2% |
| 2018 | $420.22 | $20.0M | 46.9K | +2.3% |
| 2019 | $415.45 | $21.1M | 50.3K | -1.1% |
| 2020 | $418.95 | $17.2M | 40.6K | +0.8% |
| 2021 | $421.85 | $20.1M | 46.6K | +0.7% |
| 2022 | $421.25 | $21.3M | 49.5K | -0.1% |
| 2023 | $422.10 | $24.2M | 56.0K | +0.2% |
The most expensive state pays 1.6x more than the cheapest for this procedure. AK averages $535.13 vs AR at $328.78.
| State | Avg Payment | Total Payments | Services | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AK | $535.13 | $135.4K | 253 | 6 |
| CA | $517.63 | $1.6M | 3.2K | 88 |
| NJ | $488.64 | $933.8K | 1.9K | 43 |
| CT | $481.56 | $460.4K | 956 | 33 |
| OR | $467.88 | $509.1K | 1.1K | 19 |
| MD | $466.56 | $1.4M | 3.0K | 52 |
| WA | $462.19 | $964.6K | 2.1K | 56 |
| NY | $461.40 | $1.6M | 3.4K | 80 |
| IL | $452.67 | $777.7K | 1.7K | 39 |
| MN | $451.08 | $304.0K | 674 | 23 |
| DE | $445.69 | $76.7K | 172 | 4 |
| CO | $441.21 | $386.1K | 875 | 19 |
| WY | $438.50 | $68.4K | 156 | 6 |
| MI | $436.29 | $716.0K | 1.6K | 37 |
| MA | $436.10 | $641.1K | 1.5K | 37 |
| FL | $435.76 | $2.8M | 6.5K | 128 |
| VA | $426.03 | $880.2K | 2.1K | 41 |
| RI | $425.64 | $76.2K | 179 | 6 |
| MT | $418.77 | $94.6K | 226 | 6 |
| AZ | $418.61 | $577.7K | 1.4K | 29 |
| IN | $417.32 | $392.3K | 940 | 24 |
| PA | $415.57 | $1.2M | 2.9K | 62 |
| NH | $413.19 | $116.1K | 281 | 4 |
| NE | $411.75 | $205.1K | 498 | 9 |
| WI | $411.57 | $198.8K | 483 | 14 |
| OH | $410.22 | $610.4K | 1.5K | 46 |
| UT | $409.75 | $352.0K | 859 | 22 |
| IA | $409.58 | $158.9K | 388 | 12 |
| NM | $408.55 | $102.1K | 250 | 5 |
| SD | $404.79 | $84.2K | 208 | 4 |
| MO | $397.93 | $290.9K | 731 | 24 |
| MS | $397.43 | $386.3K | 972 | 12 |
| TX | $392.61 | $1.6M | 4.1K | 117 |
| NC | $392.55 | $340.3K | 867 | 28 |
| TN | $391.47 | $399.7K | 1.0K | 25 |
| AL | $386.97 | $158.3K | 409 | 17 |
| KS | $384.39 | $307.5K | 800 | 18 |
| GA | $378.95 | $740.5K | 2.0K | 46 |
| LA | $378.44 | $212.7K | 562 | 11 |
| SC | $377.89 | $244.9K | 648 | 15 |
| VT | $377.84 | $38.2K | 101 | 3 |
| NV | $375.83 | $215.7K | 574 | 12 |
| KY | $364.90 | $143.4K | 393 | 9 |
| ND | $362.56 | $65.3K | 180 | 3 |
| OK | $358.69 | $269.7K | 752 | 16 |
| ID | $335.27 | $71.4K | 213 | 7 |
| AR | $328.78 | $82.2K | 250 | 6 |
| Provider | Specialty | State | Payments | Services | Avg/Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lutherville Surgicenter, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | MD | $207.9K | 402 | $517.29 |
| Cascade Surgicenter, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | OR | $149.7K | 282 | $530.78 |
| Chippenham Ambulatory Surgery Center, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | VA | $145.4K | 278 | $522.92 |
| Specialists One- Day Surgery Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | NY | $139.3K | 262 | $531.87 |
| Olympia Orthopaedic Associates Pllc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | WA | $117.1K | 198 | $591.18 |
| Murdock Ambulatory Surgery Center Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | FL | $110.2K | 223 | $494.10 |
| Palm Beach Surgical Suites Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | FL | $100.7K | 194 | $519.20 |
| Orthopedic Healthcare Ancillary Services, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | OR | $98.6K | 187 | $527.28 |
| Madison Physician Surgery Center, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | MS | $96.1K | 192 | $500.40 |
| Delray Beach Asc, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | FL | $94.2K | 188 | $501.06 |
| David Chan | Hand Surgery | FL | $86.9K | 216 | $402.49 |
| Orthopaedic Surgery Center Of San Antonio Lp | Ambulatory Surgical Center | TX | $85.3K | 178 | $478.98 |
| Princess Anne Ambulatory Surgery Management Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | VA | $81.4K | 161 | $505.45 |
| Cape Cod Asc Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | MA | $80.1K | 130 | $615.98 |
| Capital Region Ambulatory Surgery Center, L.L.C. | Ambulatory Surgical Center | NY | $79.9K | 159 | $502.32 |
| Precision Surgery Center, Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | MI | $78.6K | 160 | $491.43 |
| Physicians Surgicenter Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | NJ | $77.8K | 132 | $589.06 |
| Kennedy Cherry Hill Surgical Center Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | NJ | $77.6K | 133 | $583.30 |
| Andochick Surgical Center Llc | Ambulatory Surgical Center | MD | $77.5K | 146 | $530.78 |
| Sutter Bay Medical Foundation | Ambulatory Surgical Center | CA | $74.8K | 90 | $831.20 |
Based on the data, CPT 29848 shows a 1.6x variation in pricing across states — moderate variation by Medicare standards.
Costs have decreased 20.7% since 2014. Medicare's fee schedule attempts to standardize pricing, though some variation is expected due to geographic cost-of-living adjustments and practice expense differences.
This analysis is based on publicly available CMS data and does not account for patient complexity, comorbidities, or facility-specific factors that may justify pricing differences.
Note: All data is from publicly available Medicare records. OpenMedicare is an independent journalism project not affiliated with CMS.