CMS Price Transparency Data

Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair

Facility: Guthrie County Hospital

Billing Code: 29881 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$695

about 0.2× the $3,343 Medicare rate · typically $478–$1,917

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$476

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $219 under the fair price · 0.1× Medicare

Medicare pays $3,343 Fair price $695 This hospital $476 Cash price $1,617 Hospital's list price $1,617

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other IA hospitals

One of the lower prices — 6 of 8 other IA hospitals charge more for the same procedure.

Cheapest $467 Priciest $619

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 $695 (about 0.2× the $3,343 Medicare rate). Guthrie County Hospital charges insurers about $476, or about $1,617 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Guthrie Center, IA.

What each insurance company pays

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

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

✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna UnitedHealthcareCignaHumanaKaiser Permanente

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
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$934	28%
Aetnamajor	$467 - $1,617	14%
Ambetter (Centene)	$467	14%
HealthPartners	$467 - $1,039	14%
+ 2 smaller / regional plans	$467

Excludes 2 rental-network / third-party entries (e.g. Multiplan, PHCS) — these are pricing networks, not insurers.

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 1,617), 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 Guthrie County Hospital 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 Guthrie County Hospital

Compare: Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair at other IA hospitals

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