CMS Price Transparency Data

Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair

Facility: Boston Medical Center

Billing Code: 29881 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$3,999

about 1.2× the $3,343 Medicare rate · typically $2,923–$5,832

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$3,953

About the fair price

about $46 under the fair price · 1.2× Medicare

Medicare pays $3,343 Fair price $3,999 This hospital $3,953 Cash price $2,455 Hospital's list price $5,455

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other MA hospitals

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

Cheapest $1,286 Priciest $3,953

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

A fair price for a Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair is about $3,999 (about 1.2× the $3,343 Medicare rate). Boston Medical Center charges insurers about $3,953, or about $2,455 in cash — about the fair price. Located in Boston, MA.

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✓ Cigna HumanaKaiser 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	$695 - $9,338	21%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$2,307 - $3,000	69%
Aetnamajor	$2,668	80%
Cignamajor	$3,588 - $4,637	107%
Harvard Pilgrim	$2,361	71%
Tufts Health Plan	$431 - $5,400	13%
UniCare	$2,307	69%
WellCare	$3,953	118%
+ 19 smaller / regional plans	$513 - $9,338

Government programs also on file: Medicare, Medicaid.

Excludes 3 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 2,455), 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 Boston 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 Boston Medical Center

Compare: Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair at other MA hospitals

Metrowest Medical Center · Framingham $1,286
St Vincent Hospital · Worcester $1,286
Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Milton · Milton $2,863
Cambridge Health Alliance · Cambridge $3,000
South Shore Hospital · South Weymouth $3,461
Emerson Hospital - · W Concord $3,502
Milford Regional Medical Center · Milford $3,506
Anna Jaques Hospital · Newburyport $3,759

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