CMS Price Transparency Data

Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair

Facility: Sisters of Charity Hospital

Billing Code: 29881 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$704

about 0.2× the $3,343 Medicare rate · typically $559–$1,250

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$661

About the fair price

about $43 under the fair price · 0.2× Medicare

Medicare pays $3,343 Fair price $704 This hospital $661 Cash price $1,869 Hospital's list price $1,869

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other NY hospitals

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

Cheapest $515 Priciest $661

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

A fair price for a Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair is about $704 (about 0.2× the $3,343 Medicare rate). Sisters of Charity Hospital charges insurers about $661, or about $1,869 in cash — about the fair price. Located in Buffalo, NY.

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	$366 - $602	11%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$308 - $749	9%
Aetnamajor	$549	16%
Cignamajor	$523 - $758	16%
Humanamajor	$549	16%
Amerigroup	$308	9%
Fidelis Care	$549 - $628	16%
Independent Health	$308 - $685	9%
Molina	$693	21%
MVP Health Care	$665	20%
UPMC Health Plan	$941	28%
WellCare	$549 - $575	16%
+ 16 smaller / regional plans	$308 - $1,780

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

Excludes 2 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 1,869), 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 Sisters of Charity 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 Sisters of Charity Hospital

Compare: Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair at other NY hospitals

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