CMS Price Transparency Data

Hip or knee replacement (inpatient stay)

Facility: Natchitoches Regional Medical Center

Billing Code: 470 (MS-DRG)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$17,841

about 1.3× the $14,044 Medicare rate · typically $13,325–$19,237

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$17,331

About the fair price

about $510 under the fair price · 1.2× Medicare

Medicare pays $14,044 Fair price $17,841 This hospital $17,331

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other LA hospitals

Highest price of the 9 LA hospitals we have prices for — worth calling around.

Cheapest $11,530 Priciest $17,331

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 LA hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.

A fair price for a Hip or knee replacement (inpatient stay) is about $17,841 (about 1.3× the $14,044 Medicare rate). Natchitoches Regional Medical Center charges insurers about $17,331 — about the fair price. Located in Natchitoches, LA.

What each insurance company pays

Which insurers have negotiated a price with this hospital for this procedure — and which haven’t.

5 of 6 major insurers have a published price at this hospital

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Cigna✓ Humana Kaiser Permanente

Crossed out = this hospital hasn’t published a negotiated price for that insurer for this procedure. It doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t accepted — ask your insurer.

Insurance company	Price range	vs. Medicare
UnitedHealthcaremajor	$3,137 - $17,331	22%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$3,137 - $21,734	22%
Aetnamajor	$3,137 - $17,331	22%
Cignamajor	$1,606	11%
Humanamajor	$2,094 - $17,331	15%
Ambetter (Centene)	$3,137	22%
AmeriHealth	$3,137	22%
GEHA	$15,838	113%
WellCare	$17,331	123%
+ 3 smaller / regional plans	$17,331

Excludes 1 rental-network / third-party entry (e.g. Multiplan, PHCS) — these are pricing networks, not insurers.

Self-Pay How to get the cash price

Tell the billing desk you want to be billed as self-pay — not through insurance — before your visit.
Ask for the cash / prompt-pay discount in writing, with the exact price, before you agree to anything.
Get it in writing that they won’t also bill your insurance, so the cash price is what you owe.
Check the MS-DRG code on your bill matches exactly: 470.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Natchitoches Regional Medical Center is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for MS-DRG code 470.
Confirm the doctor or provider is in-network too — not just the hospital building.
Check your Explanation of Benefits against the hospital’s final itemized bill.

Estimate your out-of-pocket cost

A rough estimate of what you’d pay with insurance (deductible + coinsurance) versus paying the cash price yourself.

How you’d pay

Deductible left to meet ($)

Your coinsurance (%)

Enter your details and press estimate to compare.

Other Procedures at Natchitoches Regional Medical Center

Compare: Hip or knee replacement (inpatient stay) at other LA hospitals

St Tammany Parish Hospital · Covington $11,530
Sabine Medical Center · Many $12,027
Christus Ochsner Lake Area Hospital · Lake Charles $12,129
Minden Medical Center · Minden $12,133
Winn Parish Medical Center · Winnfield $12,178
Christus Ochsner St Patrick Hospital · Lake Charles $12,338
Lafayette Surgical Specialty Hospital · Lafayette $12,370
Christus St Frances Cabrini Hospital · Alexandria $12,419

Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.