CMS Price Transparency Data

Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair

Facility: Carlsbad Medical Center

Billing Code: 29881 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$4,015

about 1.2× the $3,343 Medicare rate · typically $3,520–$5,267

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$3,960

About the fair price

about $55 under the fair price · 1.2× Medicare

Medicare pays $3,343 Fair price $4,015 This hospital $3,960 Cash price $3,489 Hospital's list price $34,890

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other NM hospitals

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

Cheapest $1,604 Priciest $6,389

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

A fair price for a Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair is about $4,015 (about 1.2× the $3,343 Medicare rate). Carlsbad Medical Center charges insurers about $3,960, or about $3,489 in cash — about the fair price. Located in Carlsbad, NM.

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	$2,696 - $17,969	81%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$2,445 - $31,499	73%
Aetnamajor	$29,308	877%
Cignamajor	$17,445 - $29,238	522%
Devoted Health	$3,584	107%
Molina	$3,414 - $9,471	102%
Presbyterian	$3,414 - $25,215	102%
+ 9 smaller / regional plans	$3,584 - $32,448

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

Excludes 5 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 3,489), 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 Carlsbad 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 Carlsbad Medical Center

Compare: Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair at other NM hospitals

Gila Regional Medical Center · Silver City $1,604
Eastern New Mexico Medical Center · Roswell $3,347
Mountain View Regional Medical Center · Las Cruces $3,347
Covenant Health Hobbs Hospital · Hobbs $3,408
Christus St Vincent Regional Medical Center · Santa Fe $3,424
UNM Hospital · Albuquerque $3,546
Presbyterian Hospital · Albuquerque $5,669
Holy Cross Hospital A Div of Taos Health Systems · Taos $6,389

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