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PricedCare

Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair in Detroit, MI costs $744 to $3,245. Here's every hospital's price.

10 hospitals in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area, 10 hospitals list a cash price for knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair (CPT 29881). The lowest is $744 at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital, the median is $1,800 and the highest is $3,245 at Garden City Hospital. The most expensive hospital lists 4.4 times the cheapest for the same code.

The Detroit, MI median of $1,800 is 57% below the national median of $4,187 across 170 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.

13 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $1 to $11,519. 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 December 2025 and September 2026. 23 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.

$744
lowest cash price in Detroit, MI
Henry Ford Macomb Hospital · 14 mi
$1,056 below the median
$1,800
median cash price
10 hospitals
4.4×
highest ÷ lowest
same procedure, same metro
10/36
hospitals with a cash price
23 don't · see who

Sorted by cash price

Hospital facility fee only
1
Henry Ford Macomb Hospital

Clinton Township · 14 mi · File Jun 2026

$744
list $1,780 · lowest of 2 lines
2
Henry Ford Health Hospital

Detroit · 25 mi · File Jun 2026

$744
list $1,780 · lowest of 2 lines
3
Wyandotte Hospital and Medical Center

Wyandotte · 35 mi · File Jun 2026

$744
list $1,780 · lowest of 2 lines
4
Henry Ford Health West Bloomfield Hospital

W Bloomfield · 16 mi · File Jun 2026

$744
list $1,780 · lowest of 2 lines
5
Mclaren Lapeer Region

Lapeer · 24 mi · File Dec 2025

$1,800
list $3,601 · lowest of 3 lines
6
Mclaren Oakland

Pontiac · 7 mi · File Dec 2025

$1,800
list $3,601 · lowest of 3 lines
7
Mclaren Port Huron

Port Huron · 43 mi · File Dec 2025

$1,800
list $3,601 · lowest of 3 lines
8
Mclaren Macomb

Mount Clemens · 18 mi · File Dec 2025

$1,800
list $3,601 · lowest of 3 lines
9
Lake Huron Medical Center

Port Huron · 42 mi · File Sep 2026

$3,244
list $7,310
10
Garden City Hospital

Garden City · 28 mi · File Sep 2026

$3,245
list $13,124
11
Harper University Hospital

Detroit · 27 mi · File Sep 2026

—
12
Henry Ford Health Warren Hospital

Warren · 18 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 Detroit, MI 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