X-ray, hip
Facility: Smith County Memorial Hospital
Billing Code: 73502 (CPT)
- CPT Billing Code: 73502
- Insurance Median: $250
- Cash Discount Price: $266
- vs. Medicare Baseline: 2.81x 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 $88.91 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 281% of the Medicare baseline (a markup of 181%). 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Cross Blue Shield | $172 | 193% |
| Medicaid / KanCare | $186 - $266 | 209% |
| Multiplan-All Plans | $239 | 269% |
| Wppa-All Plans | $250 | 281% |
| UnitedHealthcare | $253 | 285% |
| Health Partners Of Ks Ppo-All Plans | $253 | 285% |
| Midlands Choice-All Plans | $253 | 285% |
Consumer Guidance & Cost Commentary
For the X-ray, hip procedure (CPT 73502) at Smith County Memorial Hospital in Smith Center, KS, the cash price is $266.00, which matches the facility's gross charge and the median cash rate. This amount is significantly higher than the Medicare benchmark of $88.91, reflecting a markup of 2.8 times the federal baseline. While commercial insurance plans like Medicaid/KanCare and UnitedHealthcare negotiate rates ranging from $172 to $266, these negotiated amounts often exceed the cash price for patients with high-deductible plans. Because insurance billing involves administrative overhead and contract structures that can inflate the baseline price by 20% to 40%, paying cash upfront may result in lower out-of-pocket costs compared to the final insurance allowed amount, provided the patient meets their deductible.
Patients should verify whether "self-pay" or "prompt-pay" discounts are available before scheduling, as these programs can offer fee reductions of 20% to 50% by bypassing costly claims processing and administrative labor. Although the facility is a Critical Access Hospital with government local ownership, the data does not provide specific county or state average comparisons for this procedure code. To ensure transparency, consumers should request a full itemized bill containing specific CPT codes rather than accepting summary invoices, as over 80% of hospital bills contain errors such as double-billing or unbundled charges. If a balance bill arises from out-of-network ancillary services, the No Surprises Act may protect the patient from paying the difference between the chargemaster and the insurance allowed amount.