Halden Health Economics
Bundled Price MonitorQ3 2026 · October 2026
Bundled Price Monitor · Five common surgeriesData to September 30, 2026
Published knee bundles sit 31 percent below the typical paid amount
Surgery centers posted most of the 337 prices added this quarter. Their bundles are cheaper, but more of them leave out care that a typical paid episode includes
1Where published prices stand
Across the five procedures we track, the median published bundle sits between 23 and 33 percent below the typical paid amount for the same episode. The gap is widest for screening colonoscopy, where many published prices come from surgery centers that do not bill a separate facility fee.1
| Procedure | Prices | Median bundle | Typical paid | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total knee replacement | 412 | $24,800 | $35,900 | 31% lower |
| Total hip replacement | 356 | $26,200 | $37,400 | 30% lower |
| ACL reconstruction | 188 | $9,600 | $14,100 | 32% lower |
| Screening colonoscopy | 524 | $1,450 | $2,180 | 33% lower |
| Cataract surgery, one eye | 241 | $3,100 | $4,050 | 23% lower |
| Five procedures | 1,721 | Median 31% lower |
Source: provider price pages and CMS hospital price transparency files, Halden Episode Cost Benchmarks, twelve months to June 2026
2Who is publishing
Surgery centers overtook hospitals as the largest source of published prices in the third quarter. Hospital counts grew steadily after CMS tightened enforcement of its price transparency rule, but surgery centers added more prices this quarter than in any quarter we have tracked, many of them on direct contracting pages aimed at self funded employers.
Source: provider price pages and CMS hospital price transparency files, Halden Health Economics tracking
3What a knee bundle includes
Surgeon, anesthesia and implant costs are almost always inside the published price. Care before and after surgery is not. Where a bundle leaves out physical therapy or readmission, an employer comparing it with the typical paid amount is comparing two different episodes.2
| Component | Included | Excluded | Not stated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surgeon and anesthesia fees | 96% | 1% | 3% |
| Implant | 94% | 2% | 4% |
| Imaging and tests before surgery | 71% | 18% | 11% |
| Physical therapy after discharge | 44% | 38% | 18% |
| Readmission within 90 days | 29% | 47% | 24% |
Source: provider price pages and bundle terms, read by Halden analysts
Source: provider price pages and CMS hospital price transparency files, Census Bureau regions
4Against our Episode Cost Benchmarks
5What to watch next quarter
The CMS update to hospital price transparency file requirements due to take effect in January, the open enrollment season in which several large employers plan to launch direct contracts for joint replacement, and whether surgery center growth in published prices holds once those contracts are signed.
How this monitor is built
- A published price is a cash or bundled price a provider states for a named episode, with its terms and posting date
- Each bundle is read for what it includes and excludes before it is set beside the typical paid amount
- Every price links to the page or file it came from, held on file for licensees who ask
Approved for subscribersDaniel OkaforDirector of Episode Analytics · October 9, 2026
1 The typical paid amount is the median allowed amount for the full episode in commercial claims in our Episode Cost Benchmarks, twelve months to June 2026.
2 Not stated means the bundle terms neither include nor exclude the component; we do not assume either.