Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair in Slidell, LA costs $3,187 to $15,079. Here's every hospital's price.
3 hospitals in the Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA 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 Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA metro area, 3 hospitals list a cash price for knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair (CPT 29881). The lowest is $3,187 at Sterling Surgical Hospital, the median is $3,563 and the highest is $15,079 at St Tammany Parish Hospital. The most expensive hospital lists 4.7 times the cheapest for the same code.
The Slidell, LA median of $3,563 is in line with the national median of $3,611 across 476 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.
2 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $662 to $7,719. 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 March 2026 and August 2026. 2 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 onlySlidell · 14 mi · File Aug 2026
Slidell · 15 mi · File Mar 2026
Covington · 10 mi · File Apr 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 Slidell, LA without a price for this procedure
Listed so you know who to call. The reason is what we found on their website.
- AvalaWebsite blocks automated reading
- Slidell Memorial HospitalWebsite blocks automated reading