CMS Price Transparency Data

Ultrasound, thyroid and neck

Facility: Northern Louisiana Medical Center

Billing Code: 76536 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$226

about 2.1× the $107 Medicare rate · typically $112–$226

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$226

About the fair price

2.1× Medicare

Medicare pays $107 Fair price $226 This hospital $226 Cash price $808 Hospital's list price $1,469

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 $43 Priciest $226

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

⚠ The cash price looks unusually high next to the insurance price — it may be the full list price, not a real cash discount. Call to confirm the self-pay rate.

A fair price for a Ultrasound, thyroid and neck is about $226 (about 2.1× the $107 Medicare rate). Northern Louisiana Medical Center charges insurers about $226, or about $808 in cash — about the fair price. Located in Ruston, LA.

What each insurance company pays

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

6 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	$110 - $1,469	103%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$210 - $226	197%
Aetnamajor	$142 - $881	133%
Cignamajor	$734	687%
Humanamajor	$231	216%
Kaiser Permanentemajor	$734	687%
GEHA	$1,175 - $1,396	1100%
Health Net	$720	674%
+ 45 smaller / regional plans	$549 - $1,469

Government programs also on file: Medicaid.

Excludes 8 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 808), 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: 76536.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Northern Louisiana Medical Center is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 76536.
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 Northern Louisiana Medical Center

Compare: Ultrasound, thyroid and neck at other LA hospitals

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