How much does knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy cost in California?
CPT 29881 — the fair price, every hospital's price, and the Medicare benchmark for California.
Estimates only. Educational estimates from public Medicare
benchmarks and hospital-published prices — not a guarantee, and not legal, medical, or financial advice.
29881 Knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy
Ask to pay
$4,688
This is the local cash / self-pay price — usually the best rate you can ask for.
Typical
$5,311
Medicare $3,245
Ask $4,688
$46 lowboxed = typical rangehigh $42,854
What Medicare paysⓘ
$3,245
Typical price near you
$5,311
Cash / self-pay price
$4,688
Prices near you — 86 facilities, lowest first
| Facility | Type | Price | vs Medicare | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adventist Health Bakersfield (Bakersfield) lowest ⚠ likely error | Hospital | $46cash | 0.0× | — |
| Adventist Health Glendale (Glendale) ⚠ likely error | Hospital | $49cash | 0.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Adventist Health White Memorial (Los Angeles) ⚠ likely error | Hospital | $59cash | 0.0× | — |
| Community Regional Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $935cash | 0.3× | — |
| Clovis Community Medical Center (Clovis) | Hospital | $935cash | 0.3× | — |
| Kaweah Health Medical Center (Visalia) | Hospital | $1,093cash | 0.3× | — |
| Los Angeles General Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $1,126negotiated | 0.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (Torrance) | Hospital | $1,126negotiated | 0.3× | — |
| Highland Hospital – Alameda Health System (Oakland) | Hospital | $1,525negotiated | 0.5× | — |
| Natividad Medical Center (Salinas) | Hospital | $1,803cash | 0.6× | — |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego (San Diego) | Hospital | $2,964cash | 0.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas (Encinitas) | Hospital | $2,964cash | 0.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $2,964cash | 0.9× | — |
| Scripps Green Hospital (La Jolla) | Hospital | $2,964cash | 0.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla (La Jolla) | Hospital | $2,964cash | 0.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Desert Regional Medical Center (Palm Springs) | Hospital | $2,976negotiated | 0.9× | — |
| JFK Memorial Hospital (Indio) | Hospital | $3,142negotiated | 1.0× | — |
| Dignity Glendale Memorial Hospital (Glendale) | Hospital | $4,037negotiated | 1.2× | — |
| Dignity St. Bernardine Medical Center (San Bernardino) | Hospital | $4,123negotiated | 1.3× | — |
| Dignity California Hospital Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $4,123negotiated | 1.3× | — |
| Dignity Northridge Hospital Medical Center (Northridge) | Hospital | $4,123negotiated | 1.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity St. John's Regional Medical Center (Oxnard) | Hospital | $4,123negotiated | 1.3× | — |
| Dignity St. Mary Medical Center (Long Beach) | Hospital | $4,123negotiated | 1.3× | — |
| Dignity Mercy Medical Center Redding (Redding) | Hospital | $4,123negotiated | 1.3× | — |
| Dignity Bakersfield Memorial Hospital (Bakersfield) | Hospital | $4,123negotiated | 1.3× | — |
| Centinela Hospital Medical Center (Inglewood) | Hospital | $4,187cash | 1.3× | — |
| Tri-City Medical Center (Oceanside) | Hospital | $4,208negotiated | 1.3× | — |
| Dignity Mercy General Hospital (Sacramento) | Hospital | $4,264negotiated | 1.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Mercy San Juan Medical Center (Carmichael) | Hospital | $4,328negotiated | 1.3× | — |
| Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $4,535negotiated | 1.4× | ★★★★★ |
| UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center (Santa Monica) | Hospital | $4,535negotiated | 1.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity St. Joseph's Medical Center (Stockton) | Hospital | $4,603negotiated | 1.4× | — |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital (Coronado) | Hospital | $4,688cash | 1.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Grossmont Hospital (La Mesa) | Hospital | $4,688cash | 1.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $4,688cash | 1.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $4,688cash | 1.4× | — |
| Dignity Sequoia Hospital (Redwood City) | Hospital | $4,758negotiated | 1.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Dominican Hospital (Santa Cruz) | Hospital | $5,082negotiated | 1.6× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $5,148cash | 1.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center (Fontana) | Hospital | $5,148cash | 1.6× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente San Diego Zion Medical Center (San Diego) | Hospital | $5,148cash | 1.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center (Tarzana) | Hospital | $5,311negotiated | 1.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center (Burbank) | Hospital | $5,394negotiated | 1.7× | — |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center – Murrieta (Murrieta) | Hospital | $5,408negotiated | 1.7× | — |
| Riverside Community Hospital (Riverside) | Hospital | $5,466negotiated | 1.7× | — |
| Providence Holy Cross Medical Center (Mission Hills) | Hospital | $5,473negotiated | 1.7× | — |
| Providence Little Company of Mary Torrance (Torrance) | Hospital | $5,796negotiated | 1.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center (Pomona) | Hospital | $5,810negotiated | 1.8× | ★★★★★ |
| UCI Health – Lakewood (Lakewood) | Hospital | $6,102negotiated | 1.9× | — |
| UCI Medical Center (Orange) | Hospital | $6,102negotiated | 1.9× | ★★★★★ |
| UCI Health – Fountain Valley (Fountain Valley) | Hospital | $6,102negotiated | 1.9× | — |
| UCI Health – Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos) | Hospital | $6,102negotiated | 1.9× | — |
| UCI Health – Placentia Linda (Placentia) | Hospital | $6,102negotiated | 1.9× | — |
| MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center (Fountain Valley) | Hospital | $6,500negotiated | 2.0× | — |
| MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center (Long Beach) | Hospital | $7,073negotiated | 2.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Good Samaritan Hospital (San Jose) | Hospital | $7,210negotiated | 2.2× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $7,325cash | 2.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $7,325cash | 2.3× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $7,325cash | 2.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Roseville Medical Center (Roseville) | Hospital | $7,514negotiated | 2.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Memorial Medical Center (Modesto) | Hospital | $7,514negotiated | 2.3× | — |
| Sutter Mills-Peninsula Medical Center (Burlingame) | Hospital | $7,755negotiated | 2.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Alta Bates Summit Medical Center (Oakland) | Hospital | $7,764negotiated | 2.4× | — |
| MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center (Laguna Hills) | Hospital | $7,768negotiated | 2.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Medical Center Sacramento (Sacramento) | Hospital | $7,889negotiated | 2.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $7,889negotiated | 2.4× | — |
| Sutter Eden Medical Center (Castro Valley) | Hospital | $7,889negotiated | 2.4× | — |
| Sutter CPMC Van Ness Campus (San Francisco) | Hospital | $8,023negotiated | 2.5× | — |
| Keck Hospital of USC (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $8,417negotiated | 2.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence St. Mary Medical Center (Apple Valley) | Hospital | $8,652negotiated | 2.7× | — |
| Providence St. Jude Medical Center (Fullerton) | Hospital | $8,661negotiated | 2.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley (Pleasanton) | Hospital | $8,768negotiated | 2.7× | — |
| Providence Mission Hospital (Mission Viejo) | Hospital | $9,242negotiated | 2.8× | ★★★★★ |
| UCSF Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $9,573negotiated | 3.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence St. Joseph Hospital (Orange) | Hospital | $9,695negotiated | 3.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Rady Children's Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $10,374negotiated | 3.2× | — |
| Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $11,377negotiated | 3.5× | — |
| Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian (Newport Beach) | Hospital | $11,643negotiated | 3.6× | ★★★★★ |
| UC Davis Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $12,994negotiated | 4.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center (Napa) | Hospital | $13,100negotiated | 4.0× | — |
| Los Robles Health System (Thousand Oaks) gross charge | Hospital | $15,803negotiated | 4.9× | — |
| UC San Diego Health - Hillcrest & Jacobs Medical Center (San Diego) gross charge | Hospital | $17,055cash | 5.3× | — |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles) gross charge | Hospital | $24,185cash | 7.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Stanford Health Care (Stanford) gross charge | Hospital | $31,632negotiated | 9.7× | ★★★★★ |
| John Muir Health Concord Medical Center (Concord) gross charge | Hospital | $33,995cash | 10.5× | — |
| John Muir Health Walnut Creek Medical Center (Walnut Creek) gross charge | Hospital | $42,854cash | 13.2× | ★★★★★ |
Prices from each hospital's public machine-readable file; imaging & surgery-center prices are published self-pay rates (often the cheapest option). vs Medicare is how many times the Medicare rate each facility charges. 9 unusually low/high prices excluded from the typical price as likely data errors.
💬 What to say — negotiation scripts
- For 29881 (Knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy), Medicare's benchmark rate is $3,244.61. A fair self-pay target for this line is $4,687.50. If I was charged more than that, please reduce it toward this benchmark.
- Your own published cash / self-pay price for 29881 is $4,687.50, and negotiated rates at nearby facilities run $4,122.60–$7,889.00. Please apply a rate in that range to my bill rather than the gross charge.
- Please send a fully itemized bill listing every CPT/HCPCS/DRG code and its individual charge, so I can review each line against published rates.
- Separately, what is your financial assistance / charity care policy, and am I eligible? Please send me the application and the income thresholds.
See knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy prices in another area
What should 29881 cost in California?
For knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy (CPT 29881) in California, a fair self-pay price is around $5,311, with hospitals ranging from $4,123 to $7,889 across 86 facilities. Medicare's benchmark rate is $3,245, the floor to negotiate toward. The card above lists each hospital's price, cheapest first, with CMS quality stars.
Frequently asked questions
How much does knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy cost in California?
A fair self-pay price for knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy (CPT 29881) in California is around $5,311, with hospital prices ranging from $4,123 to $7,889 across 86 facilities. These are estimates from hospital-published prices, not a guarantee.
What is the Medicare rate for CPT 29881?
Medicare pays about $3,245 for knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy (CPT 29881). That's the negotiation floor — a fair cash-pay target is roughly 1.5–2× it, well below typical gross charges.
Can I negotiate the price of knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy?
Yes. Under the federal Hospital Price Transparency rule hospitals must publish these rates, so you can ask to pay the cash or negotiated rate instead of the gross charge. Paste your bill on the home page for a ready-to-send appeal letter and the exact numbers to cite.
Got a bill for this?
If you were charged more than the fair price, you can usually negotiate it down. Paste your itemized bill to get a personalized appeal letter, the exact numbers to cite, an AI negotiation coach, and a charity-care eligibility check — free.
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Prices last refreshed September 2026 from each hospital's official CMS machine-readable file. Medicare rate: CY2025 OPPS/PFS/CLFS. Estimates only — not a guarantee.