Blood test, calcium
Facility: Stormont Vail Hospital
Billing Code: 82310 (CPT)
- CPT Billing Code: 82310
- Insurance Median: $9
- Cash Discount Price: Unavailable
- vs. Medicare Baseline: 1.74x Medicare
Average discount available for prompt cash payment at this facility.
Median negotiated contract rate across all mapped commercial carriers.
Standard federal government reimbursement rate for this code.
Visual Cost Comparison vs. Medicare
Understanding this gauge: We use the federal Medicare rate of $5.16 as the cost baseline. Rates below the baseline represent excellent value. In-network commercial rates commonly hover around 150% - 250% of Medicare, while rates exceeding 300% are elevated. Hover over the green and blue markers to view detailed calculations.
Out-of-Pocket Cost Estimator
Estimate whether it is more economical to use your insurance or pay the upfront self-pay cash rate.
Commercial Insurance Negotiated Rates
Negotiated contract ranges established by major commercial carriers at this facility.
| Carrier / Plan Group | Contract Rate Range | vs. Medicare Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Cross Blue Shield | $5 - $11 | 97% |
| UnitedHealthcare | $5 | 97% |
| Ambetter / Centene | $5 | 97% |
Consumer Guidance & Cost Commentary
For the CPT code 82310 (Blood test, calcium) at Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka, KS, the facility's median negotiated rate is $3,120.00, which is 1.7 times the Medicare benchmark amount of $5.16. This rate reflects the contractual agreements between the hospital and major payers like Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare, and Ambetter / Centene, where the allowed amounts range from $5 to $11. While commercial insurance contracts often include administrative overhead that inflates the baseline price by 20% to 40%, patients with high-deductible plans may find that paying the cash price directly is more cost-effective if the negotiated rate exceeds the cash price. Although the cash median is not listed for this specific service, patients should always inquire about "self-pay" or "prompt-pay" discounts before scheduling, as hospitals frequently offer fee reductions of 20% to 50% for upfront payments that bypass costly insurance claims processing.
It is important to distinguish between the facility's negotiated rate and the broader state or county averages, as commercial rates can vary significantly based on network tiering and local wage indexes. The Medicare benchmark serves as the most reliable objective baseline for evaluating pricing markups, representing the true cost of delivery rather than the inflated chargemaster list. If a patient receives an itemized bill that includes unexpected charges or appears to be a summary bill obscuring individual line items, they should request a full, CPT-coded audit to identify errors such as unbundled codes or services not rendered. Given that over 80% of hospital bills contain errors, disputing these discrepancies in