CMS Price Transparency Data

Psychotherapy session (45 minutes)

Facility: Essentia Health St Joseph's Medical Center

Billing Code: 90834 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$159

about 0.9× the $181 Medicare rate · typically $128–$177

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$173

About the fair price

about $14 over the fair price · 1.0× Medicare

Medicare pays $181 Fair price $159 This hospital $173 Cash price $172 Hospital's list price $256

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other MN hospitals

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

Cheapest $59 Priciest $173

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

A fair price for a Psychotherapy session (45 minutes) is about $159 (about 0.9× the $181 Medicare rate). Essentia Health St Joseph's Medical Center charges insurers about $173, or about $172 in cash — about the fair price. Located in Brainerd, MN.

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	$173 - $195	95%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$115 - $589	63%
Aetnamajor	$218	120%
Cignamajor	$188	104%
HealthPartners	$110 - $188	61%
Medica	$81 - $186	45%
Sanford Health Plan	$110 - $116	61%
Security Health Plan	$173	95%
UCare	$168 - $173	93%
+ 12 smaller / regional plans	$115 - $552

Government programs also on file: Medicare.

Excludes 2 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 172), 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: 90834.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Essentia Health St Joseph's Medical Center is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 90834.
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 Essentia Health St Joseph's Medical Center

Compare: Psychotherapy session (45 minutes) at other MN hospitals

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