CMS Price Transparency Data

Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair

Facility: UW Health

Billing Code: 29881 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$1,488

about 0.4× the $3,343 Medicare rate · typically $691–$2,541

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$528

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $960 under the fair price · 0.2× Medicare

Medicare pays $3,343 Fair price $1,488 This hospital $528 Cash price $868 Hospital's list price $5,428

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other IL hospitals

On the higher side — 6 of 8 other IL hospitals charge less.

Cheapest $520 Priciest $544

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

A fair price for a Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair is about $1,488 (about 0.4× the $3,343 Medicare rate). UW Health charges insurers about $528, or about $868 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Rockford, IL.

What each insurance company pays

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

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

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Cigna✓ Humana Kaiser 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
UnitedHealthcaremajor	$521 - $921	16%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$521 - $5,428	16%
Aetnamajor	$521 - $888	16%
Cignamajor	$984	29%
Humanamajor	$521	16%
Quartz	$1,065 - $1,203	32%
+ 6 smaller / regional plans	$521 - $3,799

Government programs also on file: Medicare, Medicaid.

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 868), 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 UW Health 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 UW Health

Compare: Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair at other IL hospitals

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