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Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair in Indianapolis, IN costs $475 to $1,288. Here's every hospital's price.

3 hospitals in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN 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 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN metro area, 3 hospitals list a cash price for knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair (CPT 29881). The lowest is $475 at Hendricks Regional Health, the median is $1,082 and the highest is $1,288 at Johnson Memorial Hospital. The most expensive hospital lists 2.7 times the cheapest for the same code.

The Indianapolis, IN median of $1,082 is 71% below the national median of $3,674 across 465 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.

10 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $81 to $12,569. 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 May 2026. 16 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.

$475
lowest cash price in Indianapolis, IN
Hendricks Regional Health · 21 mi
$607 below the median
$1,082
median cash price
3 hospitals
2.7×
highest ÷ lowest
same procedure, same metro
3/26
hospitals with a cash price
16 don't · see who

Sorted by cash price

Hospital facility fee only
1
Hendricks Regional Health

Danville · 21 mi · File May 2026

$475
list $1,188
2
Witham Health Services

Lebanon · 25 mi · File Mar 2026

$1,082
list $1,546
3
Johnson Memorial Hospital

Franklin · 22 mi · File May 2026

$1,288
list $1,610
4
Riverview Health

Noblesville · 18 mi · File Apr 2026

5
Ascension St Vincent Hospital

Indianapolis · 9 mi · File Jan 2026

6
Ascension St Vincent Anderson

Anderson · 32 mi · File Jan 2026

7
St Vincent Heart Center

Carmel · 10 mi · File Jan 2026

8
Ascension St Vincent Carmel

Carmel · 13 mi · File Jan 2026

9
Ascension St Vincent Fishers

Fishers · 15 mi · File Jan 2026

10
Ascension St Vincent Mercy

Elwood · 37 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 Indianapolis, IN 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