Knee arthroscopy, cartilage smoothing cost in Washington
In Washington, 9 hospitals publish a cash price for knee arthroscopy with smoothing of damaged cartilage (chondroplasty): from $1,313.25 to $65,482.74, with a median of $4,906.40. The lowest price is at Kittitas County Public Hospital Dist 1 (Ellensburg). The highest price is 49.9× the lowest.
- The median here, $4,906.40, is about the same as the US median of $4,899.91.
- Washington ranks 16th of 33 states by median, cheapest first.
- 2 of 9 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Washington law (RCW 70.170.060) requires hospital charity care: patients with family income up to 300% of the federal poverty level owe nothing at hospitals in large health systems (200% at other hospitals), with 75% and 50% discounts up to 400% (300% at other hospitals). It covers the part of the bill a patient owes, insured or not. Ask the hospital for its charity care application. Other states' laws.
Outpatient cash prices, one line per hospital — its lowest listed price for code 29877. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 6, 2026. See them on a map
Lowest$1,313.25Kittitas County Public Hospital Dist 1
Median$4,906.40half of hospitals charge less
Highest$65,482.74in Washington
Lowest saves$3,593.15vs the median
Hospitals in Washington, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | File date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kittitas County Public Hospital Dist 1 lowest Ellensburg · Ellensburg, WA Removal or shaving of knee joint cartilage using an endoscope | $1,313.25 | $1,545.00 | Oct 7, 2026 source file |
| Astria Toppenish Hospital Toppenish · Yakima, WA 29877 Arthroscopy, knee, surgical; debridement/sha | $1,618.50 | $2,490.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Virginia Mason Medical Center Seattle · Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ARTHROSCOPY,DEBRIDE/SHAVING OF ARTICULAR CARTILAGE | $4,773.09 | $9,359.00 | Jan 1, 2026 source file |
| PeaceHealth St Joseph Medical Center one side Bellingham · Bellingham, WA REMOVAL OR SHAVING OF KNEE JOINT CARTILAGE USING AN ENDOSCOPE | $4,899.91 | $7,538.33 | Mar 21, 2026 source file |
| Forks Community Hospital Forks · Port Townsend, WA Removal or shaving of knee joint cartilage using an endoscope | $4,906.40 | $6,133.00 | Oct 27, 2026 source file |
| Shriners Childrens - Spokane Spokane · Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA REMOVAL OR SHAVING OF KNEE JOINT CARTILAGE USING AN ENDOSCOPE | $5,975.81 | $5,975.81 | Mar 18, 2026 source file |
| Lake Chelan Community Hospital Chelan · Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA Removal or shaving of knee joint cartilage using an endoscope | $13,734.31 | $13,734.31 | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Valley Medical Center Renton · Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Arthrs Knee Surg Debridement/Shvg Artclr Crtlg | $19,615.64 | $28,022.34 | Mar 12, 2026 source file |
| Seattle Children's Hospital one side Seattle · Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Arthrs Knee Debridement/Shaving Artclr Crtlg|RIGHT SIDE | $65,482.74 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.
Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More
List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More
File date When the hospital last updated its price file, as the file says itself. A dash means the file gives no date.
No cash discount This line's cash price equals the hospital's full list price. Many hospitals still reduce bills for uninsured patients: ask the billing office for its self-pay discount in writing. More
By metro area
Each metro page compares every listing, including prices for both sides of the body.
| Metro area | Hospitals | Lowest | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 3 | $4,773.09 | $19,615.64 |
| Bellingham, WA | 1 | $4,899.91 | $4,899.91 |
| Ellensburg, WA | 1 | $1,313.25 | $1,313.25 |
| Port Townsend, WA | 1 | $4,906.40 | $4,906.40 |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | 1 | $5,975.81 | $5,975.81 |
| Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | 1 | $13,734.31 | $13,734.31 |
| Yakima, WA | 1 | $1,618.50 | $1,618.50 |
Market A metro area (as the Census Bureau defines it) or, outside metro areas, a town. Each links to every hospital price there.
Hospitals How many hospitals publish a cash price for this code here. Each hospital counts once, at its lowest outpatient cash price.
Lowest The lowest cash price among those hospitals.
Median The middle cash price: half of the hospitals charge less, half charge more. One price per hospital. More
What knee arthroscopy, cartilage smoothing is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Knee arthroscopy, cartilage smoothing explained.
Knee arthroscopy with smoothing of damaged cartilage (chondroplasty) in other states
- Alabama$8,797.52
- Alaska$11,030.55, 2 hospitals
- Arizona$9,348.04
- Arkansas$3,665.38
- California$9,465.00
- Colorado$10,718.50
- Connecticut$3,635.00, 1 hospital
- Delaware$3,381.70, 2 hospitals
- Florida$10,690.00
- Georgia$8,718.00
- Hawaii$10,988.60, 4 hospitals
- Idaho$6,877.00
- Illinois$4,870.60
- Indiana$11,045.90
- Iowa$2,100.85
- Kansas$4,390.38
- Kentucky$7,908.81
- Louisiana$4,002.40
- Maine$1,821.71, 2 hospitals
- Maryland$1,626.00, 1 hospital
- Massachusetts$6,432.38
- Michigan$4,836.05
- Minnesota$2,437.50
- Mississippi$3,267.64
- Missouri$6,939.09
- Montana$2,010.52, 4 hospitals
- Nebraska$3,218.68
- Nevada$3,765.30, 3 hospitals
- New Hampshire$754.05, 1 hospital
- New Jersey$4,291.71
- New Mexico$6,841.40, 4 hospitals
- New York$3,839.54
- North Carolina$3,364.20
- North Dakota$4,325.51, 4 hospitals
- Ohio$13,585.57
- Oklahoma$6,833.03
- Oregon$3,374.54, 4 hospitals
- Pennsylvania$5,993.50
- Rhode Island$5,613.32, 1 hospital
- South Carolina$10,884.90
- South Dakota$4,474.62, 2 hospitals
- Tennessee$6,199.01
- Texas$4,508.71
- Utah$4,764.89, 2 hospitals
- Vermont$4,048.54, 2 hospitals
- Virginia$14,256.20
- West Virginia$4,725.50
- Wisconsin$3,084.87
- Wyoming$4,262.46, 2 hospitals
Median cash price across the state's hospitals.