Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD costs $1,215 to $3,804. Here's every hospital's price.
7 hospitals in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area, 7 hospitals list a cash price for knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair (CPT 29881). The lowest is $1,215 at Mercy Catholic Medical Center- Mercy Fitzgerald, the median is $3,218 and the highest is $3,804 at St Francis Hospital. The most expensive hospital lists 3.1 times the cheapest for the same code.
The Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $3,218 is 23% below the national median of $4,187 across 170 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.
16 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $56 to $27,015. 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 September 2025 and September 2026. 35 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 onlyDarby · 3 mi · File Mar 2026
Langhorne · 29 mi · File Mar 2026
Bensalem · 24 mi · File Apr 2026
Bristol · 28 mi · File Sep 2026
Philadelphia · 11 mi · File Sep 2026
Philadelphia · 13 mi · File Dec 2025
East Norriton · 18 mi · File Dec 2025
Elmer · 22 mi · File Mar 2026
Meadowbrook · 19 mi · File Sep 2025
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 Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD without a price for this procedure
Listed so you know who to call. The reason is what we found on their website.
- Chester County HospitalNo price file found
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphiacode not in file
- Christiana HospitalFile in an unsupported format
- Cooper University HospitalWebsite blocks automated reading
- Crozer Chester Medical CenterNo price file found
- Deborah Heart and Lung CenterNo price file found
- Doylestown HospitalWebsite blocks automated reading
- Eagleville HospitalWebsite blocks automated reading
- Hospital of Univ of PennsylvaniaNo price file found
- Jefferson Health- NortheastNo website on record
- Kensington HospitalNo price file found
- Main Line Hospital LankenauFile in an unsupported format
- Nazareth HospitalNo website on record
- Nemours Children's Hospital, Delawarecode not in file
- Paoli HospitalFile in an unsupported format
- Penn Presbyterian Medical CenterNo price file found
- Pennsylvania HospitalNo price file found
- Phoenixville Hospitalcode not in file
- Pottstown Hospitalcode not in file
- Riddle Memorial HospitalFile in an unsupported format
- Shriners Hospitals for Children - Philadelphiacode not in file
- St Christopher's Hospital for Childrencode not in file
- St Luke's Hospital - Grand View CampusWebsite blocks automated reading
- St Luke's Hospital - Upper Bucks CampusFile could not be read
- Suburban Community HospitalFile found, not read yet
- Temple Health - Chestnut Hill HospitalFile found, not read yet
- Temple University HospitalNo website on record
- Union Hospital of Cecil CountyFile in an unsupported format
- Valley Forge Medical Centercode not in file
- Virtua Mount Holly Hospitalcode not in file
- Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospitalcode not in file
- Virtua Willingboro Hospitalcode not in file
- Weisman Childrens Rehabilitation Hospitalcode not in file
- West Jersey HospitalFile could not be read
- Wills Eye Hospitalcode not in file