In the "Revisions to Arthroscopic Shoulder Debridement Code" article in the December 2020 issue of

In the "Revisions to Arthroscopic Shoulder Debridement Code" article in the December 2020 issue of CPT® Assistant, the following were noted to be distinct structures for purposes of debridement: "humeral bone, humeral articular cartilage, glenoid bone, glenoid articular cartilage, biceps tendon, biceps anchor complex, labrum, articular capsule, articular side of the rotator cuff, bursal side of the rotator cuff, subacromial bursa, foreign body[ies]." Payers equate the labrum to the capsule, stating that debridement of both of these structures counts as one discrete structure. Are the labrum and capsule considered two discrete structures? In addition, the biceps labral complex is often equated to the long head of the biceps. Would a biceps tenodesis prevent counting debridement of the biceps labral complex as a discrete structure?

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CPT Knowledgebase - Apr 7, 2026