Blood test, magnesium
Facility: Scott County Hospital
Billing Code: 83735 (CPT)
- CPT Billing Code: 83735
- Insurance Median: $80
- Cash Discount Price: Unavailable
- vs. Medicare Baseline: 11.94x 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 $6.7 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.
Elevated Commercial Rate Alert (Value-Gap)
The negotiated rate at this facility is 1194% of the Medicare baseline (a markup of 1094%). Patients with high-deductible plans or out-of-network benefits may face excessive out-of-pocket costs.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| UnitedHealthcare | $7 - $85 | 104% |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield | $26 | 388% |
| Humana | $37 | 552% |
| Wppa | $53 - $1,200 | 791% |
| Aetna | $80 | 1194% |
Consumer Guidance & Cost Commentary
For the blood test, magnesium procedure (CPT 83735) at Scott County Hospital in Scott City, KS, the facility's negotiated rates range from $7 to $1200 across five insurance plans, with a median negotiated amount of $80.00. This facility is a Critical Access Hospital owned by a voluntary non-profit private entity, and its pricing is benchmarked against the national average, which is 11.9% higher than the Medicare rate of $6.70. While the facility's rating is 2, patients should be aware that commercial negotiated rates often include administrative overhead and can exceed the true cost of care represented by Medicare benchmarks. Because these rates are contractually fixed, they may not reflect the lowest possible price available, especially for patients with high-deductible plans where paying cash might result in lower out-of-pocket costs if the cash price is below the insurance allowed amount.
To minimize unexpected costs, patients should proactively request a self-pay or prompt-pay discount before scheduling, as these upfront payment incentives can significantly reduce the final bill by bypassing costly insurance claims processing. It is crucial to avoid accepting summary bills that only show broad category totals; instead, patients should demand a full itemized CPT-coded statement to identify any errors, unbundled codes, or services not rendered, as over 80% of hospital bills contain inaccuracies. If a patient receives a bill for the difference between the provider's chargemaster rate and the insurance payment, they may be facing balance billing, though the No Surprises Act protects against such charges for emergency care and non-emergency services from out-of-network providers at in-network facilities. Disputing any such bills in