CMS Price Transparency Data

Blood transfusion

Facility: St Louis Childrens Hospital

Billing Code: 36430 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price low confidence

A fair price for this

$431

about 1.0× the $451 Medicare rate · typically $109–$1,020

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$434

About the fair price

about $3 over the fair price · 1.0× Medicare

Medicare pays $451 Fair price $431 This hospital $434 Cash price $1,084 Hospital's list price $1,806

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other MO hospitals

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

Cheapest $104 Priciest $434

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

A fair price for a Blood transfusion is about $431 (about 1.0× the $451 Medicare rate). St Louis Childrens Hospital charges insurers about $434, or about $1,084 in cash — about the fair price. Located in Saint Louis, MO.

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	$434 - $1,342	96%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$434 - $1,535	96%
Aetnamajor	$434 - $1,427	96%
Cignamajor	$892 - $981	198%
Humanamajor	$434 - $1,345	96%
HealthLink	$876 - $1,364	194%
Medica	$456 - $1,445	101%
Priority Health	$981	218%
UniCare	$1,174 - $1,364	260%
+ 19 smaller / regional plans	$434 - $1,445

Excludes 6 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 1,084), 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 St Louis Childrens 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 St Louis Childrens Hospital

Compare: Blood transfusion at other MO hospitals

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