CMS Price Transparency Data

Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair

Facility: Mercyone North Iowa Medical Center

Billing Code: 29881 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$3,125

about 0.9× the $3,343 Medicare rate · typically $1,617–$3,410

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$3,343

About the fair price

about $218 over the fair price · 1.0× Medicare

Medicare pays $3,343 Fair price $3,125 This hospital $3,343 Cash price $45,685

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other IA hospitals

Highest price of the 9 IA hospitals we have prices for — worth calling around.

Cheapest $467 Priciest $3,343

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 IA hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.

⚠ The cash price looks unusually high next to the insurance price — it may be the full list price, not a real cash discount. Call to confirm the self-pay rate.

A fair price for a Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair is about $3,125 (about 0.9× the $3,343 Medicare rate). Mercyone North Iowa Medical Center charges insurers about $3,343, or about $45,685 in cash — about the fair price. Located in Mason City, IA.

What each insurance company pays

Which insurers have negotiated a price with this hospital for this procedure — and which haven’t.

4 of 6 major insurers have a published price at this hospital

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Kaiser Permanente CignaHumana

Crossed out = this hospital hasn’t published a negotiated price for that insurer for this procedure. It doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t accepted — ask your insurer.

Insurance company	Price range	vs. Medicare
UnitedHealthcaremajor	$3,525	105%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$3,343 - $3,491	100%
Aetnamajor	$3,456	103%
Kaiser Permanentemajor	$3,343	100%
Ambetter (Centene)	$5,925	177%
Oscar Health	$4,649	139%
+ 10 smaller / regional plans	$3,166 - $7,089

Government programs also on file: Medicare, Medicaid.

Self-Pay How to get the cash price

Tell the billing desk you want to be billed as self-pay — not through insurance — before your visit.
Ask for the cash / prompt-pay discount in writing, with the exact price (about 45,685), before you agree to anything.
Get it in writing that they won’t also bill your insurance, so the cash price is what you owe.
Check the CPT code on your bill matches exactly: 29881.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Mercyone North Iowa Medical Center is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 29881.
Confirm the doctor or provider is in-network too — not just the hospital building.
Check your Explanation of Benefits against the hospital’s final itemized bill.

Estimate your out-of-pocket cost

A rough estimate of what you’d pay with insurance (deductible + coinsurance) versus paying the cash price yourself.

How you’d pay

Deductible left to meet ($)

Your coinsurance (%)

Enter your details and press estimate to compare.

Other Procedures at Mercyone North Iowa Medical Center

Compare: Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair at other IA hospitals

Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.