CMS Price Transparency Data

Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair

Facility: Charleston Area Medical Center

Billing Code: 29881 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$761

about 0.2× the $3,343 Medicare rate · typically $482–$1,961

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$505

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $256 under the fair price · 0.2× Medicare

Medicare pays $3,343 Fair price $761 This hospital $505 Cash price $7,459 Hospital's list price $7,459

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other WV hospitals

Lowest price of the 9 WV hospitals we have prices for — a strong deal.

Cheapest $505 Priciest $3,579

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 WV 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 $761 (about 0.2× the $3,343 Medicare rate). Charleston Area Medical Center charges insurers about $505, or about $7,459 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Charleston, WV.

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	$505 - $520	15%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$505 - $864	15%
Aetnamajor	$411 - $528	12%
Cignamajor	$1,445	43%
CareSource	$757	23%
UniCare	$411	12%
+ 6 smaller / regional plans	$411 - $808

Government programs also on file: Military & VA.

Excludes 4 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 7,459), 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 Charleston Area 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 Charleston Area Medical Center

Compare: Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair at other WV hospitals

St Marys Medical Center · Huntington $791
Cabell Huntington Hospital, Inc · Huntington $791
Boone Memorial Hospital · Madison $2,454
Reynolds Memorial Hospital, Inc · Glen Dale $3,248
Camden Clark Medical Center · Parkersburg $3,279
Wheeling Hospital, Inc · Wheeling $3,307
Berkeley Medical Center · Martinsburg $3,369
Princeton Community Hospital Assn Inc · Princeton $3,579

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