Wiki Menisectomy + meniscus repair

[lorrpb]

Menisectomy on R medial meniscus for irreparable tear and repair of tear on R lateral meniscus. Are these 2 separate sites to bypass NCCI?
29881 Arthroscopy, knee, surgical; with meniscectomy (medial OR lateral, including any meniscal shaving) including debridement/shaving of articular cartilage (chondroplasty), same or separate compartment(s), when performed
29882-59 Arthroscopy, knee, surgical; with meniscus repair (medial OR lateral)

OR
29880 only? (Menisectomy medial AND lateral-but lateral was not menisectomy)
OR
29883 only? (Repair medial AND lateral-but medical was not a repair)

Also, why is 29882 a column 2 code for 29881 but not vice versa, when 29882 has the higher RVU?

Thanks in advance.

 

[dclark7]

These are two separate compartments in the knee, and you can bypass the edit with 59 modifier. I can't explain why the 29881 has a lower RVU than 29882, but the menisectomy is a more extensive procedure than a repair which is why it's a column one code. It could have a lower RVU because while it's a more extensive procedure it's still easier to remove than repair the meniscus (just my guess).

 

[lorrpb]

Thanks so much for the clarification.