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PricedCare

Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair in Los Angeles, CA costs $656 to $18,342. Here's every hospital's price.

15 hospitals in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, 15 hospitals list a cash price for knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair (CPT 29881). The lowest is $656 at Cedar-Sinai Marina Del Rey Hospital, the median is $4,187 and the highest is $18,342 at Pacifica Hospital of the Valley. The most expensive hospital lists 28 times the cheapest for the same code.

The Los Angeles, CA median of $4,187 is in line with the national median of $4,187 across 170 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.

33 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $562 to $47,967. 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 July 2024 and September 2026. 66 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.

$656
lowest cash price in Los Angeles, CA
Cedar-Sinai Marina Del Rey Hospital · 17 mi
$3,531 below the median
$4,187
median cash price
15 hospitals
28×
highest ÷ lowest
same procedure, same metro
15/100
hospitals with a cash price
66 don't · see who

Sorted by cash price

Hospital facility fee only
1
Cedar-Sinai Marina Del Rey Hospital

Marina Del Rey · 17 mi · File Nov 2025

$656
list $1,009 · lowest of 2 lines
2
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Los Angeles · 12 mi · File Nov 2025

$937
list $1,441 · lowest of 37 lines
3
Providence St. Joseph Hospital

Orange · 29 mi · File Apr 2026

$960
list $1,200 · lowest of 2 lines
4
L A Downtown Medical Center

Los Angeles · 5 mi · Older file Jul 2024

$3,462
list $3,462
5
Garden Grove Hospital & Medical Center

Garden Grove · 28 mi · File Sep 2026

$4,187
list $8,373
6
West Anaheim Medical Center

Anaheim · 22 mi · File Sep 2026

$4,187
list $13,800
7
Huntington Beach Hospital

Huntington Beach · 30 mi · File Sep 2026

$4,187
list $5,551
8
La Palma Intercommunity Hospital

La Palma · 20 mi · File Sep 2026

$4,187
list $17,250
9
San Dimas Community Hospital

San Dimas · 20 mi · File Sep 2026

$4,187
list $15,225
10
Centinela Hospital Medical Center

Inglewood · 15 mi · File Sep 2026

$4,187
list $12,500
11
Sherman Oaks Hospital

Sherman Oaks · 16 mi · File Sep 2026

$4,187
list $16,996
12
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Los Angeles

Los Angeles · 6 mi · File Apr 2026

$5,148
list $9,900 · lowest of 4 lines
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 Los Angeles, CA 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