CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, knee or other leg joint

Facility: Slidell Memorial Hospital

Billing Code: 73721 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$287

about 1.2× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $227–$562

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$605

Well above the fair price

about $318 over the fair price · 2.5× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $287 This hospital $605 Cash price $468 Hospital's list price $2,835

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 $108 Priciest $605

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

A fair price for a MRI, knee or other leg joint is about $287 (about 1.2× the $244 Medicare rate). Slidell Memorial Hospital charges insurers about $605, or about $468 in cash — well above the fair price. Located in Slidell, LA.

This price is above the fair BaseRate — you may be able to pay less

Ask the hospital for the cash / self-pay price, check whether you qualify for financial assistance, or negotiate the bill down toward the fair price of about $287. Many patients pay well below the first number they’re quoted — the checklists below walk you through it.

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	$221 - $945	91%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$221 - $1,168	91%
Aetnamajor	$221 - $1,390	91%
Cignamajor	$1,882 - $2,823	772%
Humanamajor	$221 - $692	91%
AmeriHealth	$346 - $692	142%
+ 6 smaller / regional plans	$221 - $2,552

Government programs also on file: Medicare, Medicaid, Military & VA.

Excludes 3 rental-network / third-party entries (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 (about 468), 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 CPT code on your bill matches exactly: 73721.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Slidell Memorial Hospital is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 73721.
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.

Compare: MRI, knee or other leg joint at other LA hospitals

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

This price is above the fair BaseRate — you may be able to pay less

What each insurance company pays

Self-Pay How to get the cash price

Insurance Before you use insurance

Other Procedures at Slidell Memorial Hospital

Compare: MRI, knee or other leg joint at other LA hospitals