Skip to main content
States Procedures Methodology Search
National price data · 1,995 hospitals

Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair cost

What a knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair costs across the U.S. — and the fair price to aim for.

Pillar 1 · The BaseRate™ CompositeHow 1.00× Fair BaseRate Works: Raw price averages unfairly penalize hospitals in high-wage cities or trauma centers treating sicker patients. We adjust for local CMS hospital wage levels and patient complexity first. A 1.00× score means right at the fair price average, 0.85× means 15% cheaper than fair market, and 1.30× means 30% above fair market.Near Fair BaseRate Benchmark
1.00×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair PriceRight at U.S. Average (0%) 1.00× (center of the bar) is the U.S. fair price average after accounting for local hospital wages and patient complexity. Left of center (<1.00×) is below fair price; right of center (>1.00×) is above fair price.

Typical commercial prices here match the fair market benchmark (1.00×) after accounting for local nurse/doctor wages and patient complexity.

Pillar 2 · VeriRate™ Data TrustHow VeriRate™ (0–100) Works: Hospitals are legally required to publish machine-readable price files, but some bury fake $0.01 numbers or omit cash discounts. VeriRate audits each file across 5 checks (hover any badge below to see what it tests).86/100 · Verified
86/100Hover Any Check Below to See How Prices Were Audited
File Completeness90Provenance (File Completeness): Checks whether the hospital published a complete, up-to-date machine-readable price file with valid CPT and MS-DRG billing codes instead of leaving blanks.
Price Logic88Coherence (Price Logic): Checks whether the hospital’s numbers make basic sense — e.g., self-pay cash price is lower than gross list price, with no fake $0.01 or $999,999 placeholder numbers.
Peer Alignment86Concordance (Peer Alignment): Checks whether reported prices sit in a realistic range compared to Medicare and nearby hospitals rather than wild 100× unit errors.
Clean Billing83Regularity (Clean Billing): Checks whether rates are structured consistently across procedures without erratic statistical spikes or hidden unbundled facility fees.
Real Cash Discount84Cash Honesty (Real Cash Discount): Checks whether the hospital offers a genuine self-pay cash discount that beats or matches commercial insurance rates instead of billing full sticker price.
Pillar 3 · Clinical Quality & ER SpeedChecks whether higher hospital prices actually buy better clinical quality — combining CMS Star Ratings, hospital safety scores, and emergency room wait times.Regional Value Leader
CMS Star RatingNot RatedOfficial CMS Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating (1 to 5 stars) summarizing mortality, safety of care, readmissions, and patient experience.
Safety ScoreNot ScoredComposite patient safety score (0–100) derived from CMS hospital-acquired infection rates (CLABSI, CAUTI, MRSA, C. diff), surgical complications, and HCAHPS surveys.
Typical ER WaitNo ER DataMedian minutes patients spent in the emergency department before leaving from the visit, as reported to CMS Timely and Effective Care.

Balances commercial hospital prices against CMS clinical safety, infection control, and patient experience.

Behavioral Pricing FingerprintMedian-Gamed · High Captive Markup

Loss-Leader / Captive Ancillary Cross-Subsidizer

Wallowa Memorial Hospital prices routine shoppable procedures near 0.5× Medicare (p50 0.34×) while skewing captive emergency, lab, and upper-quartile codes to 0.8× Medicare (p75 0.78×, +129% upper-tail jump). Patients scheduling elective outpatient care can capture competitive rates, but emergency and ancillary bills require strict line-item auditing.

#3 of 40 in OR · 5th State Percentile#37 of 3,385 in U.S. · 1st National Percentile
Advantage

Where They're Good (Patient & Payer Edge)

  • Elective shoppable care is priced 55% below peer Fair BaseRate (0.45×)
  • Self-pay cash beats commercial insurance on 11% of shoppable procedures (25/100 Cash Honesty)
  • CMS clinical safety score (72/100 safety score) with 78% patient recommendation
  • Binding Good Faith Estimate rights under 45 CFR § 149.610 protect self-pay patients before scheduling
Watchout

Where You Can Get Burned (Markup Traps)

  • Even at low-cost facilities (1.00× Fair BaseRate), out-of-network or unnegotiated chargemaster bills can exceed commercial medians — confirm in-network status or request a self-pay cash quote up front.
  • Captive ER (0.7×) & laboratory (2.6×) services average 1.60× higher multiples than routine shoppable care (0.5×)
  • Upper-quartile procedures (Q75 0.78×) jump +129% above the median procedure ratio (Q50 0.34×)
  • Consolidated metro market (HHI 3,135) limits in-network hospital competition (Highly Concentrated Monopoly (>2,500))
Front-Door ShoppableElective / Imaging
0.5× Medicare

Pre-scheduled outpatient procedures where patients can comparison-shop.

Back-Door Captive & ER1.60× Divergence
0.8× Medicare

Emergency, inpatient DRG, lab, and specialty drug lines billed after admission.

Quantile Tail Spread+129% Upper Tail
Q25 0.13× · Q50 0.34× · Q75 0.78×

Detects median-gaming when upper-quartile codes spike above the p50 median.

Select any lens to inspect department markups, federal cost accounting, or insurer discounts.
Department & Integrity Multiples (vs. CMS Medicare Cost Anchor) Green ≤1.3× · Teal 1.3–1.8× · Amber 1.8–2.5× · Rose >2.5×
Front-Door Shoppable CareFront-Door Shoppable
0.5× MedicareGood
Outpatient Surgery & ORBack-Door Captive
0.6× MedicareGood
Diagnostic Imaging (CT/MRI)Front-Door Shoppable
1.4× MedicareGood
Back-Door Captive ER VisitsBack-Door Captive
0.7× MedicareGood
Inpatient Lab & PathologyBack-Door Captive
2.6× MedicareFair
Specialty & Infusion Drugs (J-Codes)Back-Door Captive
1.1× MedicareGood
Self-Pay Cash Honesty & 501(r)Integrity & Outcomes
11% Cash Edge · 25/100Watchout
CMS Clinical Safety & Star ValueIntegrity & Outcomes
3 CMS · 72/100Fair
National Geographic Price Intelligence · 50-State + DC/PR Cartogram

National State Price Index Heatmap · Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair

State commercial price index vs. U.S. median (1.00×) and average Medicare multiple across all 53 priced states & territories

<0.93× Below Fair Price 0.93–1.05× Near Average 1.05–1.18× Elevated >1.18× High-Cost State
IA0.35×2.0× MedME0.35×2.0× MedMI0.35×2.1× MedMT0.35×1.7× MedVT0.35×1.4× MedCT0.41×2.7× MedWY0.44×2.9× MedOR0.51×3.3× MedNE0.62×4.0× MedID0.69×4.5× MedKS0.69×4.5× MedPR0.77×1.1× MedNH0.83×5.4× MedWV0.87×5.7× MedLA0.88×5.8× MedAL0.89×5.8× MedTN0.92×6.0× MedAR0.93×6.1× MedMS0.93×6.1× MedMN0.94×6.2× MedNC0.95×6.2× MedOH0.95×6.2× MedPA0.95×6.2× MedAK0.96×6.3× MedKY0.96×6.2× MedCO0.98×6.4× MedUT0.98×6.4× MedHI0.99×6.5× MedND0.99×6.4× MedNY0.99×6.4× MedSD0.99×6.4× MedTX0.99×6.5× MedMD1.00×6.5× MedMO1.00×6.6× MedNV1.00×6.6× MedIN1.01×6.6× MedNM1.03×6.8× MedIL1.05×6.9× MedSC1.06×6.9× MedAZ1.09×7.1× MedDE1.10×7.2× MedOK1.19×7.8× MedMA1.20×7.9× MedCA1.24×8.1× MedNJ1.26×8.3× MedWI1.42×9.3× MedDC1.44×9.4× MedGA1.53×10.0× MedWA1.55×10.1× MedVA1.66×10.8× MedRI1.77×11.6× MedFL1.90×12.4× Med
5 Lowest-Price States (Confounder-Isolated Value Leaders)
IA0.35×(2.0×)ME0.35×(2.0×)MI0.35×(2.1×)MT0.35×(1.7×)VT0.35×(1.4×)
5 Highest-Markup States (Strict Bill Audit Recommended)
FL1.90×(12.4×)RI1.77×(11.6×)VA1.66×(10.8×)WA1.55×(10.1×)GA1.53×(10.0×)
The BaseRate high confidence
$3,379
the fair national price for a knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair
typically $715–$7,396 across 1,995 hospitals · how we calculate it
modeled estimate · not a bill or quote
1,995
hospitals priced
51
states
10.3×
price spread — where shopping matters
6.5×
vs. Medicare

Across 1,995 hospitals in 51 states, a knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair has a fair BaseRate of $3,379 and typically costs $715–$7,396. The cheapest state is VT; the priciest is FL.

Cheapest hospitals for a knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair

Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair cost by state

AK $3,252 6 hospitals AL $3,004 28 hospitals AR $3,130 24 hospitals AZ $3,666 42 hospitals CA $4,188 153 hospitals CO $3,319 43 hospitals CT $1,367 11 hospitals DC $4,862 2 hospitals DE $3,703 6 hospitals FL $6,395 89 hospitals GA $5,153 50 hospitals HI $3,334 13 hospitals IA $1,055 47 hospitals ID $2,320 16 hospitals IL $3,541 73 hospitals IN $3,399 68 hospitals KS $2,322 37 hospitals KY $3,223 32 hospitals LA $2,969 42 hospitals MA $4,051 24 hospitals MD $3,366 2 hospitals ME $1,040 21 hospitals MI $1,100 67 hospitals MN $3,183 45 hospitals MO $3,382 43 hospitals MS $3,139 29 hospitals MT $889 9 hospitals NC $3,213 41 hospitals ND $3,326 8 hospitals NE $2,079 40 hospitals NH $2,803 11 hospitals NJ $4,255 39 hospitals NM $3,485 12 hospitals NV $3,381 20 hospitals NY $3,323 64 hospitals OH $3,187 102 hospitals OK $4,027 32 hospitals OR $1,714 24 hospitals PA $3,204 76 hospitals RI $5,970 4 hospitals SC $3,579 32 hospitals SD $3,322 8 hospitals TN $3,117 49 hospitals TX $3,347 199 hospitals UT $3,313 30 hospitals VA $5,595 43 hospitals VT $739 8 hospitals WA $5,231 42 hospitals WI $4,773 74 hospitals WV $2,929 10 hospitals WY $1,493 5 hospitals
Inline Bill X-Ray & 501(r) Calculator 501(c)(3) Nonprofit · Free Care ≤200% FPL · AGB Cap 36.3%

Audit a Bill or Quote at U.S. Hospital Benchmark (Zero PHI Required)

Fair BaseRate™ $3,379
Medicare Rate $1,960
Self-Pay Cash Request Quote
Insurer Median $3,372
Pre-filled with U.S. Hospital Benchmark’s charged/list benchmark
Screened against 2026 HHS Federal Poverty Guidelines
2026 FPL: $15,650 + $5,500 per additional person
Step 1 · 501(r) Charity Care Check 501(r) AGB Cap: $2,938 (274% FPL)

Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $2,938

At 274% FPL (201%–400% FPL tier), 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5) caps FAP-eligible bills at Amounts Generally Billed (36.3% of gross = $2,938).

Step 2 · Cash vs. Insurance Arbitrage Request Prompt-Pay Quote

Compare Prompt-Pay Cash Rate Against Remaining Deductible

Ask U.S. Hospital Benchmark's billing desk for their written 45 CFR § 180 discounted self-pay cash price and Good Faith Estimate under the No Surprises Act.

Step 3 · Fair BaseRate Target +$4,714 Above Fair BaseRate

Negotiate Toward $3,379 Fair BaseRate ($1,960 Medicare)

Your bill ($8,093) is $4,714 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($3,379) and 4.1× the $1,960 Medicare rate.

1-Click Factual Dispute Summary: Copy a citation-backed benchmark memo (with CMS CCN, CPT code, Medicare reference, Fair BaseRate, and 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) calculations) to paste into patient-portal messages or billing appeals.