July 19, 2018
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, more than 600,000 knee replacements are performed each year in the U.S., and numbers are expected to increase as the population continues to age. Costs of knee replacements and knee arthroscopies vary significantly, even in the same geographic areas.
The average total costs for knee arthroscopy and knee replacement procedures in Washington, based on allowed amounts, as described below. Patients’ out-of-pocket costs may be less.
Knee Arthroscopy
| Region |
Minimum |
Average |
Maximum |
| Seattle Tacoma Bellevue |
$2,260 |
$4,332 |
$11,272 |
| Bremerton Silverdale |
$15,270 |
$15,270 |
$15,270 |
| Olympia and Longview |
$2,942 |
$3,073 |
$3,101 |
| North Puget Sound* |
$3,137 |
$4,676 |
$10,465 |
| Spokane |
$2,602 |
$3,931 |
$9,193 |
| Eastern Washington** |
$2,856 |
$6,363 |
$15,093 |
| Non-Metro WA |
$5,233 |
$8,664 |
$11,845 |
Knee Replacement
| Region |
Minimum |
Average |
Maximum |
| Seattle Tacoma Bellevue |
$15,526 |
$35,901 |
$48,262 |
| Bremerton Silverdale* |
$48,466 |
$48,466 |
$48,466 |
| Olympia and Longview |
$26,438 |
$44,695 |
$46,651 |
| North Puget Sound** |
$19,156 |
$36,430 |
$46,795 |
| Spokane |
$26,073 |
$32,031 |
$38,846 |
| Eastern Washington*** |
$24,931 |
$35,818 |
$44,789 |
*We had limited claims data for Bremerton-Silverdale.
*North Puget Sound includes Bellingham, Mount Vernon, and Anacortes.
**Eastern Washington includes Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, Walla Walla, Wenatchee, and Yakima.
What can you do?
As we partner with our providers to make healthcare work better, our goal is to ensure that our members receive the right service at a fair price. Familiarize yourself with Premera’s decision aids. These helpful resources can spark conversations with your patients about whether knee replacement is necessary. Your patient can also see options and costs by using our cost compare tool, available on our website to all members.
Care costs vary greatly across Washington State, depending on location and the provider organization. In this series of articles, we’ll show care costs based on approximately 105,000 claims in Washington. The data reflects a year’s worth of claims from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017. The costs shown are allowed amounts paid by Premera and our members for care, based on contracts between Premera and healthcare providers. Costs are rounded to the nearest dollar.