Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair in Minneapolis, MN-WI costs $31 to $3,674. Here's every hospital's price.
2 hospitals in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area, 2 hospitals list a cash price for knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair (CPT 29881). The lowest is $31 at M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital, the median is $31 and the highest is $3,674 at M Health Fairview University of Mn Medical Center. The most expensive hospital lists 120 times the cheapest for the same code.
The Minneapolis, MN-WI median of $31 is 99% below the national median of $3,794 across 521 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.
8 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $29 to $11,390. 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 February 2026. 22 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.
Sorted by cash price
Hospital facility fee onlyEdina · 15 mi · File Feb 2026
Minneapolis · 9 mi · File Feb 2026
Princeton · 35 mi · File Feb 2026
Burnsville · 24 mi · File Feb 2026
Maplewood · 13 mi · File Feb 2026
Woodbury · 19 mi · File Feb 2026
Saint Paul · 13 mi · File Jan 2026
What's in the price
The hospital facility fee for CPT 29881. The doctor, anesthesia and lab work usually bill separately.
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.
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 Minneapolis, MN-WI without a price for this procedure
Listed so you know who to call. The reason is what we found on their website.
- Abbott Northwestern Hospitalcode not in file
- Allina United Hospitalcode not in file
- Buffalo Hospitalcode not in file
- Cambridge Medical Centercode not in file
- Centracare Health - MonticelloNo website on record
- Children's Hospitals & Clinics of MnNo website on record
- Hennepin County Medical CenterWebsite blocks automated reading
- Hudson HospitalNo website on record
- Lakeview Memorial HospitalFile could not be read
- Maple Grove Hospitalcode not in file
- Mayo Clinic Health System New PragueNo website on record
- Mercy Hospitalcode not in file
- Mille Lacs Health SystemNo website on record
- Minnesota Valley Health Center INCNo website on record
- North Memorial Health Hospitalcode not in file
- Park Nicollet Methodist HospitalFile could not be read
- Regions Hospitalcode not in file
- Ridgeview Medical CenterWebsite blocks automated reading
- River Falls Area Hospitalcode not in file
- St Francis Regional Medical CenterFile could not be read
- Western Wisconsin HealthNo website on record
- Westfields Hospital and ClinicNo website on record