CMS Price Transparency Data

Psychotherapy session (45 minutes)

Facility: Santa Clara Valley Medical Center

Billing Code: 90834 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$175

about 1.0× the $181 Medicare rate · typically $77–$268

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$101

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $74 under the fair price · 0.6× Medicare

Medicare pays $181 Fair price $175 This hospital $101 Cash price $391 Hospital's list price $558

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other CA hospitals

Highest price of the 9 CA hospitals we have prices for — worth calling around.

Cheapest $67 Priciest $101

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 CA hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.

⚠ The cash price looks unusually high next to the insurance price — it may be the full list price, not a real cash discount. Call to confirm the self-pay rate.

A fair price for a Psychotherapy session (45 minutes) is about $175 (about 1.0× the $181 Medicare rate). Santa Clara Valley Medical Center charges insurers about $101, or about $391 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in San Jose, CA.

What each insurance company pays

Which insurers have negotiated a price with this hospital for this procedure — and which haven’t.

4 of 6 major insurers have a published price at this hospital

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Cigna HumanaKaiser Permanente

Crossed out = this hospital hasn’t published a negotiated price for that insurer for this procedure. It doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t accepted — ask your insurer.

Insurance company	Price range	vs. Medicare
UnitedHealthcaremajor	$121	67%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$177	98%
Aetnamajor	$94	52%
Cignamajor	$135	74%
Health Net	$101	56%
+ 2 smaller / regional plans	$88 - $123

Excludes 1 rental-network / third-party entry (e.g. Multiplan, PHCS) — these are pricing networks, not insurers.

Self-Pay How to get the cash price

Tell the billing desk you want to be billed as self-pay — not through insurance — before your visit.
Ask for the cash / prompt-pay discount in writing, with the exact price (about 391), before you agree to anything.
Get it in writing that they won’t also bill your insurance, so the cash price is what you owe.
Check the CPT code on your bill matches exactly: 90834.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Santa Clara Valley Medical Center is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 90834.
Confirm the doctor or provider is in-network too — not just the hospital building.
Check your Explanation of Benefits against the hospital’s final itemized bill.

Estimate your out-of-pocket cost

A rough estimate of what you’d pay with insurance (deductible + coinsurance) versus paying the cash price yourself.

How you’d pay

Deductible left to meet ($)

Your coinsurance (%)

Enter your details and press estimate to compare.

Other Procedures at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center

Compare: Psychotherapy session (45 minutes) at other CA hospitals

Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.