Ultrasound, abdomen (complete)

For the CPT code 76700, Ultrasound, abdomen (complete), the facility's cash price of $412.00 is significantly higher than the Medicare benchmark of $106.81, reflecting a markup common in commercial billing. While the facility's negotiated rate of $330.00 is lower than the gross charge, it remains 3.1 times the Medicare amount. It is important to note that for patients with high-deductible plans, paying the cash price of $412.00 upfront may be more cost-effective than using insurance, as the negotiated rate of $330.00 includes administrative overhead and does not account for the patient's potential out-of-pocket costs before the deductible is met. Patients should verify their specific plan details and ask the hospital directly about "self-pay" or "prompt-pay" discounts, which can reduce the final bill by 20% to 50% if paid in full before or shortly after the service.

The data indicates that this service is provided at Satanta District Hospital, a Critical Access Hospital in Satanta, KS, with 38 different payers negotiating rates ranging from $110 to $458. The lowest negotiated rate of $110 comes from Direct Benefit-All Plans, while the highest is $458 from Medicaid/KanCare, which matches the facility's gross charge. Because commercial rates vary widely by payer and can sometimes exceed cash prices due to multi-layered administrative structures, patients should compare the facility's specific rates against their own insurance allowed amounts before scheduling. To ensure accuracy, patients should request a full itemized billing audit rather than accepting a