CMS Price Transparency Data

Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair

Facility: Madison Hospital

Billing Code: 29881 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$850

about 0.3× the $3,343 Medicare rate · typically $512–$2,125

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$492

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $358 under the fair price · 0.1× Medicare

Medicare pays $3,343 Fair price $850 This hospital $492 Cash price $3,060 Hospital's list price $3,600

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other MN hospitals

One of the lower prices — 7 of 8 other MN hospitals charge more for the same procedure.

Cheapest $490 Priciest $1,471

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 MN 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 $850 (about 0.3× the $3,343 Medicare rate). Madison Hospital charges insurers about $492, or about $3,060 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Madison, MN.

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✓ Humana CignaKaiser 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	$377 - $3,384	11%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$377 - $3,600	11%
Aetnamajor	$612 - $3,312	18%
Humanamajor	$527 - $3,420	16%
HealthPartners	$349 - $3,406	10%
Medica	$384 - $3,060	11%
Sanford Health Plan	$3,168 - $3,312	95%
+ 1 smaller / regional plan	$404 - $2,041

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 3,060), 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 Madison 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 Madison Hospital

Compare: Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair at other MN hospitals

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