CPT® code 29875 and 29880

The surgeon states, "In the intercondylar notch (PF compartment), there was a hypertrophied fat pad which I resected to facilitate visualization in the lateral compartment. There was some tearing of the lateral meniscus along the border around 9 o'clock. This was easily debrided with the power shaver". He is billing with code 29875 - Arthroscopy, knee, surgical; synovectomy, limited (separate procedure) in addition to code 29880. He did do meniscectomies in the medial and lateral compartments, but I was taught that if a procedure is done only to facilitate another procedure, it can't be billed (29875) because he couldn't do one procedure without doing the other. Is this correct?