Knee Arthroscopy with Meniscectomy Cost by Hospital (2026)

Hospital cash prices for knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy (CPT 29881) vary by tens of thousands of dollars in the same city. In Las Vegas, Nevada, published cash prices start at $1,059 at Saint Rose Dominican Hospitals - Rose De Lima and reach $72,946 at Desert Springs Hospital, according to published price data. That is a 68.9x spread between facilities in one market. Before booking care, you can search cash prices on FairVisitHealth to find lower options nearby. Master brand principles remind us: the number is not final.

Knee Arthroscopy with Meniscectomy Cost by Hospital

Across the United States, cash prices for knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy (CPT 29881) range from $548 to $72,946.

Source: FairVisitHealth price data (2026)

Price spreads look very different depending on where you live. The table below lists aggregated pricing metrics across nine major metropolitan areas, based on 339 hospital-disclosed price records and 87 named facilities in our snapshot dated September 21, 2026.

Metro	Hospitals	Lowest cash price	Median	Highest	Spread
Las Vegas, NV	7	$1,059	$46,725	$72,946	68.9x
Phoenix, AZ	6	$568	$9,416	$23,519	41.4x
Detroit, MI	35	$1,189	$5,161	$35,731	30.1x
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX	5	$1,706	$3,740	$12,171	7.1x
Orlando, FL	10	$565	$1,706	$3,622	6.4x
Charlotte, NC	6	$1,366	$1,366	$6,252	4.6x
Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL	6	$10,899	$28,458	$35,981	3.3x
Kansas City, MO	5	$548	$1,706	$1,706	3.1x
Tampa, FL	8	$1,706	$1,706	$1,706	1x

In Las Vegas, individual hospital disclosures show how fast prices climb from one building to the next.

Hospital (Las Vegas, NV, Knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy 29881)	Cash price	Negotiated median (3+ payers)	Gross charge
Saint Rose Dominican Hospitals - Rose De Lima	$1,059	n/a	$11,780
Valley Hospital Medical Center	$25,081	n/a	n/a
Summerlin Hospital Medical Center L L C	$44,008	n/a	n/a
Spring Valley Medical Center	$46,725	n/a	n/a
Henderson Hospital	$47,358	n/a	n/a
Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center	$62,201	n/a	n/a
Desert Springs Hospital	$72,946	n/a	n/a

Across all analyzed regions, the national median hospital cash price for CPT 29881 equals $5,264, according to price data. Phoenix, Arizona displays a 41.4x price spread across six hospitals, running from $568 at St. Joseph's Hospital And Medical Center to $23,519 at Vhs Acquisition Subsidiary Number 1 with a median hospital price of $9,416. Detroit, Michigan records a 30.1x price spread across 35 hospitals, spanning $1,189 at Henry Ford Warren Hospital to $35,731 at Huron Valley Sinai Hospital with a median hospital price of $5,161. Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas features a 7.1x price spread across five hospitals, ranging from $1,706 at Texas Health Huguley to $12,171 at Uhs of Texoma with a median hospital price of $3,740. Orlando, Florida shows a 6.4x price spread across 10 hospitals, starting at $565 at East Orlando Family Medicine Associates Pa and reaching $3,622 at AdventHealth Apopka with a median hospital price of $1,706. Charlotte, North Carolina reflects a 4.6x price spread across six hospitals, extending from $1,366 at Carolinas Medical Center to $6,252 at Dlp Rutherford Regional Health System with a median hospital price of $1,366. Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Florida documents a 3.3x price spread across six hospitals, running from $10,899 at Wellington Regional Medical Center to $35,981 at North Shore Medical Center with a median hospital price of $28,458. Kansas City, Missouri lists a 3.1x price spread across five hospitals, starting at $548 at Amberwell Atchison and reaching $1,706 at Adventhealth South Overland Park with a median hospital price of $1,706.

What the Spread Means for a Self-Pay Patient

Wide price spreads mean the facility you choose can change your cash price a great deal. Before you compare, check that each quote covers the same services, because some low disclosures are component fees rather than the whole procedure.

Source: FairVisitHealth price data (2026)

In Las Vegas, published cash prices run from $1,059 at Saint Rose Dominican Hospitals - Rose De Lima to $72,946 at Desert Springs Hospital, according to published price files. In Detroit, they run from $1,189 at Henry Ford Warren Hospital to $35,731 at Huron Valley Sinai Hospital. In Phoenix, they run from $568 at St. Joseph's Hospital And Medical Center to $23,519 at Vhs Acquisition Subsidiary Number 1. These are listed prices from each hospital's file, not a promise of what you would pay, and the lowest figures may not include every part of the procedure. Ask each facility for a written, all-inclusive quote before you decide.

Institutional overhead explains much of this variance. Hospital outpatient departments charge steep facility fees to cover 24-hour emergency rooms, intensive care units, and large administrative staffs. Independent surgery centers operate with far lower overhead because they handle outpatient procedures exclusively. In a study of 990,980 commercially insured outpatient orthopaedic surgeries from 2013 to 2018, including knee arthroscopy, average total costs were 26% lower at ambulatory surgery centers than at hospital outpatient departments, according to research in PubMed. The same study found ASC use for these surgeries rose from 31% to 34% of cases over that period.

Medicare payment rules reflect the same facility gap: Medicare pays ambulatory surgery centers a separate, generally lower facility rate than it pays hospital outpatient departments. For Medicare patients, the average copayment for CPT 29881 at a surgery center is $431, according to the Medicare.gov Procedure Price Lookup. Hospital pricing also varies widely across the country, as the metro table above shows.

Federal rules under 45 CFR Part 180 mandate that hospitals post gross charges, cash prices, and negotiated rates for at least 300 shoppable services, according to the Federal Register. Yet compliance remains spotty. Only 39% of top 100 orthopaedic hospitals fully complied with federal pricing rules for CPT 29881, according to PubMed. To enforce these rules, CMS sent noncompliance letters to 519 hospitals between April and early June 2026.

How to Compare Hospital Cash Prices

You can compare hospital cash prices by getting your exact procedure code, asking for a Good Faith Estimate, and checking regional price files.

Source: FairVisitHealth price data (2026)

Comparing prices matters because 41% of adults hold medical debt, according to 2022 KFF survey data. High insurance deductibles also push insured patients into cash-style shopping. The average marketplace plan deductible reached $3,786 in 2026, according to KFF research published May 19, 2026. Until you meet that deductible, you pay the contracted rate or cash price yourself.

Start by asking your surgeon for the exact CPT code. For a knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy, the primary code is CPT 29881. Call the hospital billing office with this code to request their cash rate.

Next, ask for a written Good Faith Estimate before scheduling your surgery. Under the No Surprises Act, providers must give self-pay and uninsured patients a Good Faith Estimate upon request, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. If your final bill exceeds the estimate by $400 or more per provider, you have 120 calendar days from receiving the bill to initiate federal dispute resolution.

Then compare your quote against market benchmarks. You can review hospital pricing disclosures on FairVisitHealth or browse our Procedure Costs Index. In a hypothetical example, if a local facility quotes $25,000 for a procedure with a national median cash price of $5,264, use lower written cash prices from nearby competitors to ask for a lower rate.

Finally, verify whether the quoted cash price covers surgeon and anesthesia fees. Most hospital cash files disclose facility charges only. Ask for separate written estimates from your orthopaedic surgeon and anesthesiologist before booking. If an unexpected bill arrives after care, remember that the number is not final. You can submit your statement using Check My Bill or review our Bill Negotiation guide to request line-item adjustments.

Methodology

This report analyzes cash price disclosures extracted from hospital-published machine-readable files aggregated in September 2026.

Source: FairVisitHealth price data (2026)

Data snapshot date: September 21, 2026. Data field extracted: disclosed discounted cash price per CPT code 29881 (knee arthroscopy with surgical meniscectomy). Facility medians reflect distinct hospital records with deduplicated facility names. Metropolitan market boundaries follow 3-digit ZIP code prefix clusters. Included metropolitan cells require five or more reporting hospital records. Market spread equals the highest disclosed cash price divided by the lowest disclosed cash price within the metropolitan boundary. Negotiated medians display where three or more payer contract lines exist in the primary source file.

Limitations

Published hospital price files contain data limitations that patients should review before scheduling procedures.

Source: FairVisitHealth price data (2026)

Hospital machine-readable file update dates range from 2021 through 2026, meaning individual pricing figures change over time. Most hospital cash disclosures cover technical facility fees exclusively, excluding professional fees for surgeons, anesthesiologists, or pathologists. Extremely low cash disclosures under $600 in select markets reflect individual component billing fees rather than total procedure costs. Cash rates remain subject to provider updates and require direct confirmation before booking.

Download the Data

You can download the raw dataset of 339 price records across 87 named hospitals directly from FairVisitHealth price data.

The file is licensed under CC BY 4.0 and cited as "FairVisitHealth, 2026."

Sources

• Wang KY, Puvanesarajah V, Marrache M, et al. "Ambulatory Surgery Centers Versus Hospital Outpatient Departments for Orthopaedic Surgeries." J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2022;30(5):207-214. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35143432/
• FairVisitHealth, hospital-published price transparency files, snapshot September 21, 2026 (CC BY 4.0). https://fairvisithealth.com/media/blog/report-procedure-29881/data-df4ea670.csv

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy cost without insurance?

Without insurance, hospital cash prices for knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy range from $548 to $72,946 depending on facility location. The national median hospital cash price for CPT code 29881 sits at $5,264 across 1,577 pricing records according to FairVisitHealth price data. Ambulatory surgical centers often offer lower cash prices than hospital outpatient departments.

Why is knee arthroscopy more expensive at a hospital than an outpatient center?

Hospitals charge higher prices because facility fees support 24-hour emergency care infrastructure, administrative overhead, and inpatient care systems. Ambulatory surgery centers focus exclusively on outpatient procedures and maintain lower operational costs. For commercially insured patients, average total costs of common outpatient orthopaedic surgeries ran 26% lower at ambulatory surgery centers than at hospital outpatient departments, according to PubMed.

What is the average cash price for CPT code 29881 at a hospital?

The national median hospital cash price for CPT code 29881 equals $5,264 across 1,577 pricing records according to FairVisitHealth price data. Regional median cash prices range from $1,366 in Charlotte, North Carolina to $46,725 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Facility charges vary substantially between health systems within the same metropolitan area.

Does health insurance cover knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy?

Most health insurance plans cover medically necessary knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy for symptomatic meniscus tears. Patients must meet annual deductibles before insurance coverage begins. The average marketplace plan deductible reached $3,786 in 2026 according to KFF research published May 19, 2026, making self-pay price comparisons relevant for insured individuals.

How do patients compare knee arthroscopy costs between local hospitals?

Patients compare local hospital costs by requesting cash prices for CPT code 29881 directly from hospital scheduling offices. Reviewing online pricing disclosures through FairVisitHealth helps identify lower-cost facilities across regional markets. Federal regulations require hospitals to publish cash prices for standard shoppable procedures online.