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PricedCare

Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair in Boston, MA-NH costs $2,455 to $6,709. Here's every hospital's price.

3 hospitals in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area publish a cash price for knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair (CPT 29881). We read their files every month so you don't have to.

Across the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, 3 hospitals list a cash price for knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair (CPT 29881). The lowest is $2,455 at Boston Medical Center, the median is $5,707 and the highest is $6,709 at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington. The most expensive hospital lists 2.7 times the cheapest for the same code.

The Boston, MA-NH median of $5,707 is 55% above the national median of $3,674 across 523 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.

4 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $425 to $9,338. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which is sometimes higher than the cash price; you may ask for the cash price instead.

The files behind these prices are dated between January 2026 and April 2026. 37 other hospitals in the metro area have no readable price for this code: some publish no file, some block automated reading, some leave the code out. They are listed below so you can call them.

$2,455
lowest cash price in Boston, MA-NH
Boston Medical Center · 13 mi
$3,252 below the median
$5,707
median cash price
3 hospitals
2.7×
highest ÷ lowest
same procedure, same metro
3/41
hospitals with a cash price
37 don't · see who

Sorted by cash price

Hospital facility fee only
1
Boston Medical Center

Boston · 13 mi · File Mar 2026

$2,455
list $5,455 · lowest of 2 lines
2
Cambridge Health Alliance

Cambridge · 11 mi · File Mar 2026

$5,707
list $5,707
3
Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington

Burlington · 10 mi · File Apr 2026

$6,709
list $6,709
4
Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital

Brockton · 30 mi · File Jan 2026

—
1

What's in the price

The hospital facility fee for CPT 29881. The doctor, anesthesia and lab work usually bill separately.

2

Cash vs. insured

Cash is what you pay without insurance. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which can be higher than cash. You may ask for the cash price.

3

What to say on the phone

"I'd like the self-pay price for CPT 29881, in writing, and whether it covers facility, physician and anesthesia."

About knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair

CPT 29881 is a keyhole knee operation to trim a torn meniscus, the cartilage cushion in the knee. It is one of the most common orthopedic procedures, done as an outpatient in 30 to 60 minutes under general or spinal anesthesia, with a few weeks of recovery.

What the price covers

The hospital's price is the facility fee: operating room, arthroscopy equipment, nursing, supplies and recovery. The surgeon and the anesthesia provider bill separately. Post-operative physical therapy and a knee brace are separate.

Is it needed?

For degenerative meniscus tears in middle age, trials have found physical therapy works as well as arthroscopy for many patients. If the tear is degenerative rather than from an injury, it is reasonable to ask whether a course of therapy first would be sensible.

Why prices vary

The same operation is priced several times higher at some hospitals than others in the same area, and ambulatory surgery centers, which do not publish these files, are often the cheapest option. Ownership and system size drive hospital prices more than anything else.

Questions to ask

  • What is the self-pay price for 29881, and what do surgeon and anesthesia add?
  • Are additional codes likely (chondroplasty, a second compartment), and what do they cost?
  • Could it be done at an ambulatory surgery center?

Hospitals in Boston, MA-NH without a price for this procedure

Listed so you know who to call. The reason is what we found on their website.

Questions people ask