Northern Light Blue Hill Memorial Hospital
57 Water Street, Blue Hill, ME 04614 · 136 Priced Procedures · 72% Patient Recommendation
Typical commercial prices here are 20% below the fair benchmark (0.80×) after accounting for local nurse/doctor wages and patient complexity.
Balances commercial hospital prices against CMS clinical safety, infection control, and patient experience.
Uniform Value Leader · Low-Cost Across Departments
Northern Light Blue Hill Memorial Hospital maintains low, disciplined commercial pricing across both routine shoppable procedures (0.7× Medicare, p50 0.86× Fair BaseRate) and emergency/ancillary services (1.0× Medicare, p75 0.98× Fair BaseRate). Both insured and self-pay patients benefit from below-benchmark rates across departments.
Where They're Good (Patient & Payer Edge)
- Elective shoppable care is priced 20% below peer Fair BaseRate (0.80×)
- Self-pay cash beats commercial insurance on 64% of shoppable procedures (99/100 Cash Honesty)
- CMS clinical safety score (70/100 safety score) with 72% patient recommendation
- IRS 501(c)(3) charity care provides free care up to 200% FPL and discounted care up to 400% FPL (45.0% AGB cap)
Where You Can Get Burned (Markup Traps)
- Even at low-cost facilities (0.80× Fair BaseRate), out-of-network or unnegotiated chargemaster bills can exceed commercial medians — confirm in-network status or request a self-pay cash quote up front.
- Captive ER (1.0×) & laboratory (0.9×) services average 1.43× higher multiples than routine shoppable care (0.7×)
- Specialty infusion drugs (J-codes) average 1.1× Medicare — verify per-unit billing on itemized statements
- Unnegotiated chargemaster list prices average 7.0× Medicare (22¢ true HCRIS cost per $1 gross)
Pre-scheduled outpatient procedures where patients can comparison-shop.
Emergency, inpatient DRG, lab, and specialty drug lines billed after admission.
Detects median-gaming when upper-quartile codes spike above the p50 median.
Procedure Prices at Northern Light Blue Hill Memorial Hospital
High-impact clinical procedures (MRIs, surgeries, inpatient stays, visits) are prioritized first. Use the category pills or search bar to filter all 136 published procedures.
| Procedure & Billing Code | This Hospital | vs. Fair |
|---|---|---|
| C-section delivery (full package) CPT Code: 59510 | $2,815 | 0.9× |
| Vaginal delivery (full package) CPT Code: 59400 | $2,544 | 0.9× |
| Total hip replacement CPT Code: 27130 | $1,450 | 0.1× |
| Total knee replacement CPT Code: 27447 | $1,077 | 0.1× |
| Cataract surgery with lens implant CPT Code: 66984 | $753 | 0.3× |
| Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair CPT Code: 29881 | $764 | 0.2× |
| Bunion correction surgery CPT Code: 28296 | $735 | 0.2× |
| Trauma team activation HCPCS Code: G0390 | $674 | 0.5× |
| Breast lump removal CPT Code: 19120 | $648 | 0.2× |
| Inguinal hernia repair CPT Code: 49505 | $620 | 0.2× |
| Gallbladder removal (laparoscopic) CPT Code: 47562 | $548 | 0.1× |
| Injection procedure for pain management HCPCS Code: G0260 | $438 | 0.5× |
| Colonoscopy with biopsy CPT Code: 45380 | $434 | 0.3× |
| Blood transfusion CPT Code: 36430 | $382 | 0.8× |
| Rabies immune globulin HCPCS Code: 90375 | $335 | 1.0× |
| Colonoscopy (diagnostic) CPT Code: 45378 | $357 | 0.4× |
| Upper endoscopy with biopsy CPT Code: 43239 | $337 | 0.3× |
| Breathing treatment (nebulizer) CPT Code: 94640 | $248 | 1.2× |
| Sleep study (overnight, in lab) CPT Code: 95810 | $259 | 0.3× |
| Psychiatric evaluation (first visit) CPT Code: 90791 | $223 | 1.2× |
| Psychotherapy session (60 minutes) CPT Code: 90837 | $219 | unverified |
| Family therapy session CPT Code: 90847 | $176 | 1.0× |
| CT scan, abdomen and pelvis (with contrast) CPT Code: 74177 | $193 | 0.4× |
| MRI, brain (with and without contrast) CPT Code: 70553 | $196 | 0.4× |
| X-ray, chest (single view) CPT Code: 71045 | $150 | 1.6× |
Audit a Bill or Quote at Northern Light Blue Hill Memorial Hospital (Zero PHI Required)
Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $5,426
At 274% FPL (201%–400% FPL tier), 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5) caps FAP-eligible bills at Amounts Generally Billed (45.0% of gross = $5,426).
Self-Pay Cash Rate ($4,461) Beats Your Bill
Northern Light Blue Hill Memorial Hospital's published 45 CFR § 180 self-pay cash rate is $4,461 (vs. $2,815 commercial insurer median). Ask billing to reclassify the visit to prompt-pay self-pay if it beats your deductible.
Negotiate Toward $2,975 Fair BaseRate ($2,473 Medicare)
Your bill ($12,057) is $9,082 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($2,975) and 4.9× the $2,473 Medicare rate.
Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) & Amounts Generally Billed (AGB)
Hospital-Specific CMS HCRIS Benchmark (45.0% of gross charges)
Under 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5), a tax-exempt hospital organization may not bill FAP-eligible patients more than Amounts Generally Billed (AGB) to individuals with insurance covering emergency or medically necessary care. Derived from this facility’s reported CMS HCRIS cost-to-charge & insurer allowance filings. Verify your exact Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) determination directly with the billing office.
Clinical Quality, Patient Experience & Infection Benchmarks
Source: CMS Hospital Care Compare (72 completed HCAHPS patient surveys). Clinical quality metrics summarize historical facility-wide cohorts and are not medical advice for individual care decisions.
How to Pay Less Nearby: Freestanding Centers, Insurer Leverage & Outpatient Savings
2D regional comparison of commercial negotiated price index against CMS clinical quality composite for Northern Light Blue Hill Memorial Hospital.
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.