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CMS Price Transparency Data

Blood transfusion

Facility: Valley Children's Hospital

Billing Code: 36430 (CPT)

Pillar 1 · The BaseRate™ CompositeHow 1.00× Fair BaseRate Works: Raw price averages unfairly penalize hospitals in high-wage cities or trauma centers treating sicker patients. We adjust for local CMS hospital wage levels and patient complexity first. A 1.00× score means right at the fair price average, 0.85× means 15% cheaper than fair market, and 1.30× means 30% above fair market.Near Fair BaseRate Benchmark
$503Fair BaseRate Benchmark
Position vs. 1.00× Fair PriceRight at U.S. Average (0%) 1.00× (center of the bar) is the U.S. fair price average after accounting for local hospital wages and patient complexity. Left of center (<1.00×) is below fair price; right of center (>1.00×) is above fair price.

Compares typical commercial prices against the fair price benchmark after accounting for local wages and case complexity.

Pillar 2 · VeriRate™ Data TrustHow VeriRate™ (0–100) Works: Hospitals are legally required to publish machine-readable price files, but some bury fake $0.01 numbers or omit cash discounts. VeriRate audits each file across 5 checks (hover any badge below to see what it tests).86/100 · Verified
86/100Hover Any Check Below to See How Prices Were Audited
File Completeness90Provenance (File Completeness): Checks whether the hospital published a complete, up-to-date machine-readable price file with valid CPT and MS-DRG billing codes instead of leaving blanks.
Price Logic88Coherence (Price Logic): Checks whether the hospital’s numbers make basic sense — e.g., self-pay cash price is lower than gross list price, with no fake $0.01 or $999,999 placeholder numbers.
Peer Alignment86Concordance (Peer Alignment): Checks whether reported prices sit in a realistic range compared to Medicare and nearby hospitals rather than wild 100× unit errors.
Clean Billing83Regularity (Clean Billing): Checks whether rates are structured consistently across procedures without erratic statistical spikes or hidden unbundled facility fees.
Real Cash Discount84Cash Honesty (Real Cash Discount): Checks whether the hospital offers a genuine self-pay cash discount that beats or matches commercial insurance rates instead of billing full sticker price.
Pillar 3 · Clinical Quality & ER SpeedChecks whether higher hospital prices actually buy better clinical quality — combining CMS Star Ratings, hospital safety scores, and emergency room wait times.Regional Value Leader
CMS Star RatingNot RatedOfficial CMS Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating (1 to 5 stars) summarizing mortality, safety of care, readmissions, and patient experience.
Safety ScoreNot ScoredComposite patient safety score (0–100) derived from CMS hospital-acquired infection rates (CLABSI, CAUTI, MRSA, C. diff), surgical complications, and HCAHPS surveys.
Typical ER WaitNo ER DataMedian minutes patients spent in the emergency department before leaving from the visit, as reported to CMS Timely and Effective Care.

Balances commercial hospital prices against CMS clinical safety, infection control, and patient experience.

The BaseRate · fair price low confidence
A fair price for this
$503
about 1.1× the $451 Medicare rate · typically $61–$1,986
modeled estimate · not a bill or quote
Medicare pays $451 Fair price $503

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

Insurer prices not shown for this procedure

This hospital’s published rates for this billing code don’t look like a per-visit price — they appear to be a full-stay total filed under an hourly code — so we’re not showing a per-insurer breakdown we can’t stand behind. The fair price above is your best reference; call the hospital’s billing office to confirm the actual charge.

Self-Pay How to get the cash price

Insurance Before you use insurance

Facility Profile & Credentials

  • Address: 9300 Valley Childrens Place, Madera, CA 93636
  • CMS Rating: No CMS Rating
  • Ownership Type: Voluntary non-profit - Private
  • Hospital Type: Childrens

Other Procedures at Valley Children's Hospital

Compare: Blood transfusion at other CA hospitals

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

Inline Bill X-Ray & 501(r) Calculator 501(c)(3) Nonprofit · Free Care ≤200% FPL · AGB Cap 36.3%

Audit a Bill or Quote at Valley Children's Hospital (Zero PHI Required)

CMS CCN: 053300
CPT 36430
Fair BaseRate™ $503
Medicare Rate $451
Self-Pay Cash Request Quote
Insurer Median $578
Pre-filled with Valley Children's Hospital’s charged/list benchmark
Screened against 2026 HHS Federal Poverty Guidelines
2026 FPL: $15,650 + $5,500 per additional person
Step 1 · 501(r) Charity Care Check 501(r) AGB Cap: $503 (274% FPL)

Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $503

At 274% FPL (201%–400% FPL tier), 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5) caps FAP-eligible bills at Amounts Generally Billed (36.3% of gross = $503).

Step 2 · Cash vs. Insurance Arbitrage Request Prompt-Pay Quote

Compare Prompt-Pay Cash Rate Against Remaining Deductible

Ask Valley Children's Hospital's billing desk for their written 45 CFR § 180 discounted self-pay cash price and Good Faith Estimate under the No Surprises Act.

Step 3 · Fair BaseRate Target +$884 Above Fair BaseRate

Negotiate Toward $503 Fair BaseRate ($451 Medicare)

Your bill ($1,387) is $884 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($503) and 3.1× the $451 Medicare rate.

1-Click Factual Dispute Summary: Copy a citation-backed benchmark memo (with CMS CCN, CPT code, Medicare reference, Fair BaseRate, and 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) calculations) to paste into patient-portal messages or billing appeals.
Care-Setting Arbitrage, Bilateral SVD Insurer Leverage & Regional Alternatives

How to Pay Less Nearby: Freestanding Centers, Insurer Leverage & Outpatient Savings

45 CFR § 180 Primary-Source Lineage & Federal Verification Verified CMS CCN 053300

Verify the Raw Data: Official Hospital MRF, CMS Medicare.gov & Federal Filings

MRF Portal Indexed (CMS_45_CFR_180_FILING.json) Verify on CMS Medicare.gov (CCN 053300) ↗ CMS HCRIS Cost Reports ↗
Published MRF FileCMS_45_CFR_180_FILING.json
Publication / Vintage2026-07
Validated Rate RowsIndexed (CMS v2024)
File Integrity DigestVerified · CCN 053300

Safe-Harbor Data Corrections: Parsed directly from public 45 CFR § 180 hospital filings, CMS Care Compare, and CMS HCRIS cost reports. Hospital compliance officers may submit updated MRF URLs or rate tables for verification.

Submit MRF Update Correction Policy