Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair in Seattle, WA costs $3,977 to $41,261. Here's every hospital's price.
2 hospitals in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area, 2 hospitals list a cash price for knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair (CPT 29881). The lowest is $3,977 at Virginia Mason Medical Center, the median is $3,977 and the highest is $41,261 at Valley Medical Center. The most expensive hospital lists 10 times the cheapest for the same code.
The Seattle, WA median of $3,977 is 8% above the national median of $3,674 across 523 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.
14 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $16 to $16,181. 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 April 2026. 13 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 onlySeattle · 24 mi · File Jan 2026
Renton · 18 mi · File Mar 2026
Everett · 39 mi · File Apr 2026
Seattle · 24 mi · File Apr 2026
Bellevue · 19 mi · File Apr 2026
Federal Way · 27 mi · File Feb 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 Seattle, WA without a price for this procedure
Listed so you know who to call. The reason is what we found on their website.
- Cascade Valley Hospitalcode not in file
- Evergreenhealth Medical CenterWebsite blocks automated reading
- Evergreenhealth MonroeWebsite blocks automated reading
- Harborview Medical CenterWebsite blocks automated reading
- Kaiser Permanente Central HospitalFile could not be read
- Mary Bridge Children's HospitalWebsite blocks automated reading
- Multicare Auburn Medical CenterWebsite blocks automated reading
- Multicare Covington Medical CenterWebsite blocks automated reading
- Multicare Good Samaritan HospitalWebsite blocks automated reading
- Seattle Children's HospitalFile in an unsupported format
- Snoqualmie Valley HospitalNo website on record
- Tacoma General Allenmore HospitalWebsite blocks automated reading
- University of Washington Medical CtrWebsite blocks automated reading