CMS Price Transparency Data

Heart stent placement (inpatient stay)

Facility: Lowell General Hospital

Billing Code: 322 (MS-DRG)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$18,338

about 1.4× the $12,807 Medicare rate · typically $15,368–$27,214

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$16,152

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $2,186 under the fair price · 1.3× Medicare

Medicare pays $12,807 Fair price $18,338 This hospital $16,152 Cash price $33,140 Hospital's list price $47,343

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 $12,569 Priciest $16,152

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

A fair price for a Heart stent placement (inpatient stay) is about $18,338 (about 1.4× the $12,807 Medicare rate). Lowell General Hospital charges insurers about $16,152, or about $33,140 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Lowell, MA.

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	$15,426 - $16,152	120%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$16,152 - $48,043	126%
Aetnamajor	$4,540 - $15,845	35%
Cignamajor	$15,845	124%
Humanamajor	$15,845	124%
Harvard Pilgrim	$15,845	124%
Tufts Health Plan	$8,641 - $26,429	67%
WellSense	$34,269 - $39,805	268%
+ 15 smaller / regional plans	$6,359 - $72,614

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 33,140), 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: 322.

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 MS-DRG code 322.
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: Heart stent placement (inpatient stay) at other MA hospitals

Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Milton · Milton $12,569
Emerson Hospital - · W Concord $15,031
Winchester Hospital · Winchester $15,096
Anna Jaques Hospital · Newburyport $15,322
Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Plymouth · Plymouth $15,541
South Shore Hospital · South Weymouth $15,630
Brown University Health Morton Hospital · Taunton $15,703
Heywood Hospital - · Gardner $15,723

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