Knee arthroscopy, cartilage smoothing cost in St. Louis, MO
In St. Louis, MO-IL, 4 hospitals list a cash price for knee arthroscopy with smoothing of damaged cartilage (chondroplasty): from $7,134.52 to $9,656.49, with a median of $7,929.22. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Hospital Washington — $794.70 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $5,711.26 at 17 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 3 cities for code 29877, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in St. Louis, MO-IL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital Washington lowest Washington, MO Arthrs Knee Surg Debridement/Shvg Artclr Crtlg | $7,134.52 | $10,976.19 | $541.62–$4,812.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital South Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Arthrs Knee Surg Debridement/Shvg Artclr Crtlg | $7,698.14 | $11,843.29 | $3,215.01–$7,373.89 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO Arthrs Knee Surg Debridement/Shvg Artclr Crtlg | $8,160.29 | $12,554.29 | $3,897.00–$10,471.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MO Arthrs Knee Surg Debridement/Shvg Artclr Crtlg | $9,656.49 | $14,856.14 | $3,215.01–$7,373.89 | 35% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $7,134.52, median $7,929.22, highest $9,656.49 — a 1.4× difference within the same market.
Cash or insurance?
At 1 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 none is it 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.