MRI, knee or other leg joint
Facility: Penobscot Valley Hospital
Billing Code: 73721 (CPT)
This hospital's typical commercial price is $1,294 compared to the $464 fair price benchmark.
Balances commercial hospital prices against CMS clinical safety, infection control, and patient experience.
Highest price of the 9 ME hospitals we have prices for — worth calling around.
Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 ME hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.
A fair price for a MRI, knee or other leg joint is about $464 (about 1.9× the $244 Medicare rate). Penobscot Valley Hospital charges insurers about $1,294, or about $2,192 in cash — well above the fair price. Located in Lincoln, ME.
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 $464. 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
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 | $1,262 - $2,192 | 518% |
| Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor | $1,300 - $2,031 | 533% |
| Aetnamajor | $1,288 - $2,631 | 528% |
| Cignamajor | $2,576 | 1057% |
| Humanamajor | $1,275 | 523% |
| Harvard Pilgrim | $2,617 | 1074% |
| WellCare | $1,275 | 523% |
Self-Pay How to get the cash price
Insurance Before you use insurance
Estimate your out-of-pocket cost
A rough estimate of what you’d pay with insurance (deductible + coinsurance) versus paying the cash price yourself.
Other Procedures at Penobscot Valley Hospital
Compare: MRI, knee or other leg joint at other ME hospitals
- Northern Light Mayo Hospital · Dover Foxcroft $142
- Northern Light Blue Hill Memorial Hospital · Blue Hill $143
- Northern Light C A Dean Hospital · Greenville $143
- Northern Light Sebasticook Valley Hospital · Pittsfield $143
- Northern Maine Medical Center · Fort Kent $171
- Northern Light Acadia Hospital · Bangor $186
- Mainehealth Mid Coast Hospital · Brunswick $203
- Mainehealth Pen Bay Hospital · Rockport $204
Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.
Audit a Bill or Quote at Penobscot Valley Hospital (Zero PHI Required)
Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $995
At 274% FPL (201%–400% FPL tier), 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5) caps FAP-eligible bills at Amounts Generally Billed (36.3% of gross = $995).
Self-Pay Cash Rate ($2,192) Beats Your Bill
Penobscot Valley Hospital's published 45 CFR § 180 self-pay cash rate is $2,192 (vs. $1,294 commercial insurer median). Ask billing to reclassify the visit to prompt-pay self-pay if it beats your deductible.
Negotiate Toward $464 Fair BaseRate ($244 Medicare)
Your bill ($2,740) is $2,276 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($464) and 11.2× the $244 Medicare rate.
How to Pay Less Nearby: Freestanding Centers, Insurer Leverage & Outpatient Savings
Verify the Raw Data: Official Hospital MRF, CMS Medicare.gov & Federal Filings
Safe-Harbor Data Corrections: Parsed directly from public 45 CFR § 180 hospital filings, CMS Care Compare, and CMS HCRIS cost reports. Hospital compliance officers may submit updated MRF URLs or rate tables for verification.