CMS Price Transparency Data

Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair

Facility: Christus Ochsner Lake Area Hospital

Billing Code: 29881 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$2,992

about 0.9× the $3,343 Medicare rate · typically $2,645–$2,992

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$2,979

About the fair price

about $13 under the fair price · 0.9× Medicare

Medicare pays $3,343 Fair price $2,992 This hospital $2,979

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other LA hospitals

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

Cheapest $479 Priciest $2,979

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

A fair price for a Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair is about $2,992 (about 0.9× the $3,343 Medicare rate). Christus Ochsner Lake Area Hospital charges insurers about $2,979 — about the fair price. Located in Lake Charles, LA.

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	$683 - $3,943	20%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$2,949 - $5,556	88%
Aetnamajor	$717 - $6,500	21%
Cignamajor	$9,845	295%
Humanamajor	$696 - $7,147	21%
AmeriHealth	$683	20%
WellCare	$3,097	93%
+ 9 smaller / regional plans	$683 - $10,721

Government programs also on file: Medicare, Military & VA.

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, 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 Christus Ochsner Lake Area 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 Christus Ochsner Lake Area Hospital

Compare: Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair at other LA hospitals

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