Knee arthroscopy cost in Grand Rapids, MI
In Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI, 3 hospitals list a cash price for knee arthroscopy with meniscus trim: from $608.50 to $15,776.90, with a median of $608.50. The lowest listed price is at University of Michigan Health-Sparrow Ionia and 1 other hospital. Across Michigan, the median is $1,800.40 at 38 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 3 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 Mar 31, 2026 and Mar 31, 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 Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Michigan Health-Sparrow Ionia lowest Ionia, MI · (616) 527-4200 PR ARTHRS KNE SURG W/MENISCECTOMY MED/LAT W/SHVG | $608.50 | $1,217.00 | $973.61 | 50% | — source file |
| University of Michigan Health-Sparrow Carson lowest Carson City, MI · (989) 584-3131 PR ARTHRS KNE SURG W/MENISCECTOMY MED/LAT W/SHVG | $608.50 | $1,217.00 | $354.43–$973.61 | 50% | — source file |
| Mercy Health Saint Marys one side Grand Rapids, MI · (616) 685-5000 HC Arthro Knee W/Mnsc Med or Lat Incl/Chndrplsty Same/Sep Compart Lt (Rest Method II CAH) | $15,776.90 | — | $1,170.67–$12,884.08 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $608.50, median $608.50, highest $15,776.90 — a 25.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $608.50. 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 3 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 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
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.