Knee arthroscopy, cartilage smoothing cost in Minneapolis, MN — inpatient
In Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, 5 hospitals list a cash price for knee arthroscopy with smoothing of damaged cartilage (chondroplasty) as an inpatient: from $668.20 to $3,696.42, with a median of $1,739.14. The lowest listed price is at Regions Hospital — $1,070.94 less than the median here. Across Minnesota, the median is $2,520.00 at 7 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 5 cities for code 29877, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 6, 2026 and May 18, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regions Hospital lowest St. Paul, MN · (651) 254-1616 Knee arthroscopy/surgery | $668.20 | $2,570.00 | $758.15–$4,093.60 | 74% | — source file |
| Westfields Hospital New Richmond, WI · (715) 246-2101 Knee arthroscopy/surgery | $1,485.95 | $2,825.00 | $691.66–$8,290.46 | 47% | — source file |
| Fairview Maple Grove Surgery Center Maple Grove, MN HC KNEE ARTHROSCOPY, SHAVE ARTICULAR CARTILAGE | $1,739.14 | $4,337.00 | — | 60% | May 18, 2026 source file |
| Methodist Hospital St. Louis Park, MN Knee Arthroscopy/Surgery | $2,437.50 | $9,375.00 | $1,384.82–$7,031.25 | 74% | — source file |
| M Health Fairview University of Mn Medical Center Minneapolis, MN · (612) 624-1765 HC KNEE ARTHROSCOPY, SHAVE ARTICULAR CARTILAGE | $3,696.42 | $9,218.00 | $4,802.58–$8,296.20 | 60% | Feb 6, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $668.20, median $1,739.14, highest $3,696.42 — a 5.5× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $2,088.32 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 4 of 4 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 2 it is below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
This code covers knee arthroscopy in which the surgeon smooths rough or loose cartilage.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the operating room, recovery and supplies. The surgeon and anesthesia usually bill separately.
3 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 29877 ($3,084.87). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital Edina, MNAS KNEE SCOPE,SHAVE ARTICULAR CART | $29.79 | file |
| HealthEast St John's Hospital Maplewood, MNAS KNEE SCOPE,SHAVE ARTICULAR CART | $65.14 | file |
| M Health Fairview University of Mn Medical Center Minneapolis, MNAS KNEE SCOPE,SHAVE ARTICULAR CART | $99.07 | file |