Price report card

Total knee replacement

Reviewed by Dr. Neel Patel · data refreshed June 10, 2026 CPT 27447

Total knee replacement (CPT 27447) is the procedure I perform most — and the one where published hospital prices are least trustworthy today. This page explains the real cost structure of the episode and exactly what to ask, while we work on price data that meets our verification bar.

Most Indianapolis-metro hospitals publish formulas or percentages instead of dollar amounts for joint replacement, and the facility number alone leaves out the surgeon, anesthesia, and rehab anyway. A table built from that data would look precise and be wrong. We'd rather show you nothing than mislead you — if we can verify episode pricing against independent claims data, we'll publish it.

What you're actually paying for

One procedure usually means several bills. Here's the episode, in order:

  1. 01

    Pre-op evaluation and medical clearance

    Billed separately

    Office visits, labs, and imaging before surgery each bill on their own.

  2. 02

    Surgery: facility fee and implant

    largest item

    The hospital's charge for the operating room, your stay, and usually the implant — this is the piece hospital files describe, often only as a formula.

  3. 03

    Surgeon and anesthesia fees

    Billed separately

    The surgeon's fee typically covers the operation plus roughly 90 days of routine follow-up (the 'global period'). Anesthesia bills separately.

  4. 04

    Physical therapy

    Billed separately

    Multiple sessions over weeks to months — ask how many are typical and what each costs.

One number we can verify

While hospital-published prices for this surgery don't meet our bar yet, one anchor is public: Medicare pays hospitals about $14,036 for the episode (2026 national MS-DRG rate, before regional adjustment). Commercial and cash prices typically run higher. Use it as a sanity check on any quote you receive.

Questions worth asking before you book