CMS Price Transparency Data

Blood transfusion

Facility: Lowell General Hospital

Billing Code: 36430 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$606

about 1.3× the $451 Medicare rate · typically $268–$1,463

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$1,305

Well above the fair price

about $699 over the fair price · 2.9× Medicare

Medicare pays $451 Fair price $606 This hospital $1,305 Cash price $935 Hospital's list price $1,335

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other MA hospitals

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

Cheapest $80 Priciest $1,305

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

A fair price for a Blood transfusion is about $606 (about 1.3× the $451 Medicare rate). Lowell General Hospital charges insurers about $1,305, or about $935 in cash — well above the fair price. Located in Lowell, MA.

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 $606. 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.

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

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Cigna HumanaKaiser 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	$1,032 - $1,335	229%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$438 - $1,335	97%
Aetnamajor	$1,228 - $1,335	272%
Cignamajor	$668 - $1,611	148%
AmeriHealth	$467	104%
AvMed	$467	104%
GEHA	$467	104%
Harvard Pilgrim	$925 - $1,053	205%
Tufts Health Plan	$734 - $1,611	163%
WellSense	$467 - $1,335	104%
+ 106 smaller / regional plans	$438 - $1,335

Government programs also on file: Medicare, Medicaid.

Excludes 12 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 935), 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: 36430.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Lowell General Hospital is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 36430.
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 Lowell General Hospital

Compare: Blood transfusion at other MA hospitals

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