Buena Vista Regional Medical Center
1525 West 5Th Street, Storm Lake, IA 50588 · 88 Priced Procedures · 78% Patient Recommendation
Typical commercial prices here match the fair market benchmark (1.00×) after accounting for local nurse/doctor wages and patient complexity.
4-Star CMS clinical quality rating paired with 1.00× fair market pricing.
Aligned Regional Benchmark Peer
Buena Vista Regional Medical Center prices shoppable and inpatient services (3.1× to 2.6× Medicare, divergence 0.84×) in alignment with regional hospital peers (1.00× Fair BaseRate). Reviewing plan-specific negotiated rates and cash discounts helps lock in the lowest out-of-pocket tier.
Where They're Good (Patient & Payer Edge)
- Bottom-quartile procedures (Q25) price at 0.78× the peer BaseRate benchmark
- Self-pay cash beats commercial insurance on 72% of shoppable procedures (48/100 Cash Honesty)
- 2-Star CMS clinical rating with 78% patient recommendation (66/100 safety score)
- Binding Good Faith Estimate rights under 45 CFR § 149.610 protect self-pay patients before scheduling
Where You Can Get Burned (Markup Traps)
- Outpatient surgery & OR suites carry a 1.4× markup over Medicare rates
- Commercial insurance median sits at 1.00× Fair BaseRate (3.1× Medicare), so insured patients should always compare the self-pay cash price before paying.
- Upper-quartile procedures (Q75 1.28×) jump +28% above the median procedure ratio (Q50 1.00×)
- Consolidated metro market (HHI 10,000) limits in-network hospital competition (Highly Concentrated Monopoly (>2,500))
Pre-scheduled outpatient procedures where patients can comparison-shop.
Emergency, inpatient DRG, lab, and specialty drug lines billed after admission.
Detects median-gaming when upper-quartile codes spike above the p50 median.
Procedure Prices at Buena Vista Regional Medical Center
High-impact clinical procedures (MRIs, surgeries, inpatient stays, visits) are prioritized first. Use the category pills or search bar to filter all 88 published procedures.
| Procedure & Billing Code | This Hospital | vs. Fair |
|---|---|---|
| C-section delivery (full package) CPT Code: 59510 | $3,784 | 1.3× |
| Total hip replacement CPT Code: 27130 | $3,320 | 0.2× |
| Total knee replacement CPT Code: 27447 | $3,175 | 0.2× |
| Sleep study (overnight, in lab) CPT Code: 95810 | $2,782 | 2.7× |
| CT scan, abdomen and pelvis (with contrast) CPT Code: 74177 | $2,173 | 4.9× |
| MRI, brain (with and without contrast) CPT Code: 70553 | $2,058 | 4.0× |
| Trauma team activation HCPCS Code: G0390 | $1,916 | 1.3× |
| CT scan, abdomen and pelvis (no contrast) CPT Code: 74176 | $1,726 | 5.7× |
| Blood transfusion CPT Code: 36430 | $1,623 | 3.3× |
| Gallbladder removal (laparoscopic) CPT Code: 47562 | $1,599 | 0.3× |
| CT scan, head (with contrast) CPT Code: 70460 | $1,450 | 6.0× |
| MRI, lower back (no contrast) CPT Code: 72148 | $1,403 | 4.2× |
| MRI, brain (no contrast) CPT Code: 70551 | $1,403 | 4.1× |
| MRI, knee or other leg joint CPT Code: 73721 | $1,403 | 3.8× |
| CT scan, head (with and without contrast) CPT Code: 70470 | $1,370 | 5.3× |
| Echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) CPT Code: 93306 | $1,294 | 2.2× |
| Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair CPT Code: 29881 | $1,267 | 0.4× |
| Bunion correction surgery CPT Code: 28296 | $1,258 | 0.4× |
| Inguinal hernia repair CPT Code: 49505 | $1,282 | 0.4× |
| CT scan, sinuses CPT Code: 70486 | $1,084 | 6.5× |
| CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine) CPT Code: 72131 | $1,084 | 6.5× |
| CT scan, neck (cervical spine) CPT Code: 72125 | $1,084 | 6.4× |
| Breast lump removal CPT Code: 19120 | $1,015 | 0.3× |
| CT scan, head (no contrast) CPT Code: 70450 | $865 | 5.4× |
| CT scan, pelvis CPT Code: 72192 | $865 | 5.3× |
Audit a Bill or Quote at Buena Vista Regional Medical Center (Zero PHI Required)
Above Standard 400% FPL Financial-Assistance Ceiling
At 274% FPL, you exceed the standard 400% FPL tier, though medical-hardship caps (when bills exceed 10% of annual income) may still apply.
Self-Pay Cash Rate ($3,784) Beats Your Bill
Buena Vista Regional Medical Center's published 45 CFR § 180 self-pay cash rate is $3,784 (vs. $3,784 commercial insurer median). Ask billing to reclassify the visit to prompt-pay self-pay if it beats your deductible.
Negotiate Toward $2,975 Fair BaseRate ($2,473 Medicare)
Your bill ($4,730) is $1,755 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($2,975) and 1.9× the $2,473 Medicare rate.
Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) & Amounts Generally Billed (AGB)
Public IRS & CMS ownership records classify Buena Vista Regional Medical Center as a non-501(c)(3) facility. Federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) statutory charity-care caps apply specifically to tax-exempt nonprofit hospitals, though state hospital fair-pricing statutes and prompt-pay self-pay discounts may still apply.
Clinical Quality, Patient Experience & Infection Benchmarks
Source: CMS Hospital Care Compare (113 completed HCAHPS patient surveys). Clinical quality metrics summarize historical facility-wide cohorts and are not medical advice for individual care decisions.
How to Pay Less Nearby: Freestanding Centers, Insurer Leverage & Outpatient Savings
2D regional comparison of commercial negotiated price index against CMS clinical quality composite for Buena Vista Regional Medical Center.
Verify the Raw Data: Official Hospital MRF, CMS Medicare.gov & Federal Filings
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.