CMS Price Transparency Data
Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair
Facility: Hospital for Special Surgery
Billing Code: 29881 (CPT)
Pillar 1 · The BaseRate™ CompositeHow 1.00× Fair BaseRate Works: Raw price averages unfairly penalize hospitals in high-wage cities or trauma centers treating sicker patients. We adjust for local CMS hospital wage levels and patient complexity first. A 1.00× score means right at the fair price average, 0.85× means 15% cheaper than fair market, and 1.30× means 30% above fair market.Near Fair BaseRate Benchmark
$3,234Fair BaseRate Benchmark
Position vs. 1.00× Fair PriceRight at U.S. Average (0%)
1.00× (center of the bar) is the U.S. fair price average after accounting for local hospital wages and patient complexity. Left of center (<1.00×) is below fair price; right of center (>1.00×) is above fair price.
Compares typical commercial prices against the fair price benchmark after accounting for local wages and case complexity.
Pillar 2 · VeriRate™ Data TrustHow VeriRate™ (0–100) Works: Hospitals are legally required to publish machine-readable price files, but some bury fake $0.01 numbers or omit cash discounts. VeriRate audits each file across 5 checks (hover any badge below to see what it tests).86/100 · Verified
86/100Hover Any Check Below to See How Prices Were Audited
File Completeness90Provenance (File Completeness): Checks whether the hospital published a complete, up-to-date machine-readable price file with valid CPT and MS-DRG billing codes instead of leaving blanks.
Price Logic88Coherence (Price Logic): Checks whether the hospital’s numbers make basic sense — e.g., self-pay cash price is lower than gross list price, with no fake $0.01 or $999,999 placeholder numbers.
Peer Alignment86Concordance (Peer Alignment): Checks whether reported prices sit in a realistic range compared to Medicare and nearby hospitals rather than wild 100× unit errors.
Clean Billing83Regularity (Clean Billing): Checks whether rates are structured consistently across procedures without erratic statistical spikes or hidden unbundled facility fees.
Real Cash Discount84Cash Honesty (Real Cash Discount): Checks whether the hospital offers a genuine self-pay cash discount that beats or matches commercial insurance rates instead of billing full sticker price.
Pillar 3 · Clinical Quality & ER SpeedChecks whether higher hospital prices actually buy better clinical quality — combining CMS Star Ratings, hospital safety scores, and emergency room wait times.Regional Value Leader
CMS Star Rating5/5 StarsOfficial CMS Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating (1 to 5 stars) summarizing mortality, safety of care, readmissions, and patient experience.
Safety Score96/100Composite patient safety score (0–100) derived from CMS hospital-acquired infection rates (CLABSI, CAUTI, MRSA, C. diff), surgical complications, and HCAHPS surveys.
Typical ER WaitNo ER DataMedian minutes patients spent in the emergency department before leaving from the visit, as reported to CMS Timely and Effective Care.
5-Star CMS clinical quality rating paired with 1.00× fair market pricing.
The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence
A fair price for this
$3,234
about 1.0× the $3,343 Medicare rate · typically $1,105–$6,482
modeled estimate · not a bill or quote
Medicare pays $3,343 Fair price $3,234 Hospital's list price $12,000
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
UnitedHealthcareBlue Cross Blue ShieldAetnaCigna 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 | $597 - $14,759 | 18% |
| Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor | $70 - $12,543 | 2% |
| Aetnamajor | $3,489 - $12,511 | 104% |
| Cignamajor | $4,030 - $12,245 | 121% |
| Fidelis Care | $448 - $537 | 13% |
| GEHA | $12,177 | 364% |
| Harvard Pilgrim | $14,759 | 442% |
| Molina | $8,237 | 246% |
| + 13 smaller / regional plans | $370 - $16,814 |
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
Insurance Before you use insurance
Other Procedures at Hospital for Special Surgery
Compare: Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair at other NY hospitals
- Bertrand Chaffee Hospital · Springville $515
- The University of Vermont Health Network-Alice Hy · Malone $536
- Saratoga Hospital · Saratoga Springs $545
- Geneva General Hospital · Geneva $562
- Glens Falls Hospital · Glens Falls $564
- Mercy Hospital of Buffalo · Buffalo $575
- F F Thompson Hospital · Canandaigua $602
- St James Hospital · Hornell $603
Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.
Inline Bill X-Ray & 501(r) Calculator
501(c)(3) Nonprofit · Free Care ≤200% FPL · AGB Cap 36.3%
Audit a Bill or Quote at Hospital for Special Surgery (Zero PHI Required)
CMS CCN: 330270
CPT 29881
Fair BaseRate™ $3,234
Medicare Rate $3,343
Self-Pay Cash Request Quote
Insurer Median $3,719
Pre-filled with Hospital for Special Surgery’s charged/list benchmark
Screened against 2026 HHS Federal Poverty Guidelines
2026 FPL: $15,650 + $5,500 per additional person
Step 1 · 501(r) Charity Care Check
501(r) AGB Cap: $4,356 (274% FPL)
Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $4,356
At 274% FPL (201%–400% FPL tier), 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5) caps FAP-eligible bills at Amounts Generally Billed (36.3% of gross = $4,356).
Step 2 · Cash vs. Insurance Arbitrage
Request Prompt-Pay Quote
Compare Prompt-Pay Cash Rate Against Remaining Deductible
Ask Hospital for Special Surgery's billing desk for their written 45 CFR § 180 discounted self-pay cash price and Good Faith Estimate under the No Surprises Act.
Step 3 · Fair BaseRate Target
+$8,766 Above Fair BaseRate
Negotiate Toward $3,234 Fair BaseRate ($3,343 Medicare)
Your bill ($12,000) is $8,766 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($3,234) and 3.6× the $3,343 Medicare rate.
1-Click Factual Dispute Summary: Copy a citation-backed benchmark memo (with CMS CCN, CPT code, Medicare reference, Fair BaseRate, and 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) calculations) to paste into patient-portal messages or billing appeals.
CMS Care Compare Public Quality Record
Clinical Quality, Patient Experience & Infection Benchmarks
CMS Overall5/5 Stars (5/5)
Source: CMS Hospital Care Compare. Clinical quality metrics summarize historical facility-wide cohorts and are not medical advice for individual care decisions.
Care-Setting Arbitrage, Bilateral SVD Insurer Leverage & Regional Alternatives
How to Pay Less Nearby: Freestanding Centers, Insurer Leverage & Outpatient Savings
45 CFR § 180 Primary-Source Lineage & Federal Verification
Verified
CMS CCN 330270
Verify the Raw Data: Official Hospital MRF, CMS Medicare.gov & Federal Filings
MRF Portal Indexed (CMS_45_CFR_180_FILING.json)
Verify on CMS Medicare.gov (CCN 330270) ↗
CMS HCRIS Cost Reports ↗
Published MRF FileCMS_45_CFR_180_FILING.json
Publication / Vintage2026-07
Validated Rate RowsIndexed (CMS v2024)
File Integrity DigestVerified · CCN 330270
Safe-Harbor Data Corrections: Parsed directly from public 45 CFR § 180 hospital filings, CMS Care Compare, and CMS HCRIS cost reports. Hospital compliance officers may submit updated MRF URLs or rate tables for verification.