CMS Price Transparency Data

Echocardiogram (heart ultrasound)

Facility: Bienville Medical Center

Billing Code: 93306 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price low confidence

A fair price for this

$411

about 0.7× the $558 Medicare rate · typically $125–$1,401

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$1,289

Well above the fair price

about $878 over the fair price · 2.3× Medicare

Medicare pays $558 Fair price $411 This hospital $1,289 Cash price $1,318 Hospital's list price $2,197

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 $129 Priciest $1,289

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

A fair price for a Echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) is about $411 (about 0.7× the $558 Medicare rate). Bienville Medical Center charges insurers about $1,289, or about $1,318 in cash — well above the fair price. Located in Arcadia, 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 $411. 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	$129 - $1,289	23%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$1,322	237%
Aetnamajor	$129 - $2,196	23%
Cignamajor	$1,098	197%
Humanamajor	$1,186 - $1,418	212%
Ambetter (Centene)	$1,186	212%
AmeriHealth	$129 - $1,289	23%
+ 20 smaller / regional plans	$129 - $2,196

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

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 1,318), 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: 93306.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Bienville Medical Center is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 93306.
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 Bienville Medical Center

Compare: Echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) at other LA hospitals

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