Knee arthroscopy cost in Carlsbad, NM
In Carlsbad-Artesia, NM, 2 hospitals list a cash price for knee arthroscopy with meniscus trim: from $664.20 to $3,489.05, with a median of $2,076.63. The lowest listed price is at Artesia General Hospital — $1,412.43 less than the median here. Across New Mexico, the median is $11,355.14 at 6 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 29881, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 20, 2026 and Apr 1, 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 Carlsbad-Artesia, NM.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artesia General Hospital lowest Artesia, NM · (575) 748-3333 KNEE ARTHROSCOPY/SURGERY | $664.20 | $1,107.00 | $302.21–$6,287.92 | 40% | Feb 20, 2026 source file |
| Carlsbad Medical Center Carlsbad, NM · (575) 887-4570 KNEE ARTHROSCOPY/SURGERY | $3,489.05 | $34,890.47 | $521.52–$32,448.14 | 90% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $664.20, median $2,076.63, highest $3,489.05 — a 5.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $664.20. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 of 2 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
Knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy uses a small camera and instruments through tiny cuts to trim or remove a torn part of the meniscus, the cartilage cushion in the knee. The code also covers smoothing damaged cartilage in the knee when done.
What the price covers
The facility price covers the operating room and recovery. The surgeon's fee and anesthesia are usually billed separately.